When the Hunters Become the Hunted
by abfirechick
Summary: A camping trip for the women of Emergency! turns into a nightmarish life and death struggle when they are pursued by dangerous men who want no witnesses. Will the rescuers save them? Or will they turn the tables saving themselves? PLEASE LET REVIEW
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**I do NOT own any rights to Emergency! , the series or any of its characters. The character of A.J. Whitewolf is my creation. This story is solely for entertainment purposes only, with absolutely no profit made what so ever.**

It was a warm sunny day in Los Angeles County. The weather had been very cooperative the last two weeks, it was warm but not suffocatingly hot as was more the norm in August. The A-Shift of the department had just finished a rather busy and hectic one; there had been a dwelling, a three story brownstone on the edge of Carson. They had been there for several hours; the call had come in around 2AM which means they got almost no sleep at all. Among the stations there were 51 and 110.

There had been many obstacles in fighting the raging flames. The house was sitting on a large plot of land, mostly consisting of dense woods. There were also a few huge trees, almost right up against the house itself. This presented an issue from the start, how to get the apparatus, especially the ladder trucks close enough to the structure to do the most efficient and safest job. The engines could simply lay out additional hose if need be to accomplish putting wet stuff on the red stuff, however for the ladder to be able to reach to flow water or do rescues it had to be set up at a certain distance and location. Additional units were also needed to control the wild fire that ensued because of the radiant and contact heat from the fire.

Although it may not have been suffocatingly hot outside, it was still plenty warm enough to put an immense physical hardship on the rescuers. The gear they wore, complete with air pack weighed a surprising 80 pounds plus. Between the heat of the fire and the adrenaline pumping up their heart rates it made for an exhausting task indeed. House fires contain more toxic smoke than most people would imagine, since the use of household Plastic and Styrofoam the air inside a typical dwelling was even more polluted. Carbon Monoxide is _dirty_ enough, on top of that when these materials burn it creates cyanide gas, which is simply a no no to inhale.

There had been two children entrapped in the blaze when they had arrived on the scene. The paramedics from the two squads had acted quickly retrieving the small ones. However in the process both A.J. Whitewolf and Johnny Gage had been injured. One of the main support beams from the roof had crashed down on top of them. Their perspective partners had managed to lift off the debris off of them and got them out. Neither one had been seriously hurt, the boo boos had amounted to some first degree burns on their upper backs and shoulders, nothing that a little moisturizer wouldn't help. The beam had knocked them down, the smaller debris had pinned them but also saved them from serious injury.

The kids were unharmed and that made everyone's day. In a firefighter's life there are times where their skills and dedication simply aren't enough. So whenever fortune shines upon them, they never take it for granted. The other obvious plus was that each member of their family was going home under their own power. There was no critical injuries or thank GOD deaths.

All of them were boosted by the knowledge that they had the next four days off. They could catch up on much needed sleep and then spend time in this beautiful weather, less the 80 pound gear. So when 8AM rolled around, it was quite a relief to all of them.

Many weeks ago A.J. and several of her friends had made plans to go on a weekend get a way of sorts. There was a beautiful national park just to the north and it was a perfect spot for camping and hiking. It had this huge ten mile trail of waterfalls. The group included Dixie, Joanne DeSoto, Emily Stanley, as well as Sandy McNeal, Chet's long term girl friend and Alice Denver who was dating Mike Stoker. All of the men at the 110 where she ran out of were terminal bachelors; hence the reason none of their better halves were part of the group.

She was getting her gear together at the house, when Johnny came strolling in the front door. He had moved in with her several months ago when his lease for his apartment had run out. They had been engaged for a little longer than that. Much to her family's disappointment they had yet to set a date for the wedding. It wasn't that there was any doubt for either of them, they just couldn't figure out when to make the day that worked for everyone involved. Plus there was the scheduling of the time off they would need, etc. So for now they were content on being happily in love and the rest would work itself out eventually.

His keys clanked loudly into the tray by the door where they kept them. It still made her smile the way he would do little things to announce himself when he came home. Even before she had told him about that horrific day he had done that, automatically making the effort to never startle her with his presence.

"Hi, Honey I'm home!" He shouted up the fire pole. Their home was a renovated fire house. The current one was actually located on the property bordering the back part of her ten acre lot.

While she was going away for the next four days, Gage had his own plans. Several the guys were coming over to watch the football game. Besides the men from the station there was some of the staff from Rampart as well, Drs Brackett, Early and even Morton were invited. He had even decided to extend an invitation to Craig Brice, A.J.'s partner. Although he certainly wasn't buddies with the guy, he still wanted to make him feel welcome, if for no other reason then he meant something to her. To his shock he actually said yes and thanked him.

"I'm in the bedroom, Dear!" They used the 50's sitcom phrases as an inside joke. They however certainly didn't sleep in two separate twin beds.

"You still packing? Your only going away for four days, you taking the kitchen sink too?" He teased her.

"No, it doesn't carry well in my back pack!" She shot him a look of feigned annoyance. She knew that he packed just as much for his trips, if not more. The first aid kit was what she was in the process of stuffing into her bag. It was a kit full of supplies that were above and beyond what the typical civilian one would include. Her years in the army had taught her that it was far better to be over prepared than under.

"Well I am going to have to figure out how to act like a bachelor again!" He grinned, thinking about what she looked like under her shorts and tank top. Before he met her the thought of being so completely and utterly lost in love was something that had scared him.

"Yeah, I guess Roy and the guys will have to help you suffer through it!" One of the great things about their relationship was that they thoroughly enjoyed spending time together but were more than secure enough to spend time apart, with other people.

A familiar grin then brightened up her face, "Oh yea, I haven't properly thanked you for playing nice and inviting Craig to your little shindig...." She slid up to him and planted a deep, passionate kiss on him.

"Well it's not necessary but if you have your heart set on it, who am I to stop you?" He shoved the suitcase and back pack off the bed, and embraced her with his strong masculine arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Joanne DeSoto was in the midst of finishing her packing for the much needed time off. Although she didn't have a career that gave her a paycheck, she was in deed employed full time as a wife and mother. She loved her family but the few times that she could spend time with her friends and get out of the house was precious.

The kids were running or more like sprinting around the house, including the bedroom where she was attempting to get ready. Their energy was boundless and there was many times where she and Roy commented that they wished they could bottle some of it, sell it and make millions.

She heard Roy come through the front door. She had this feeling that it had been a long, hard shift. They had been together for so many years that she was fairly accurate at reading him, even if it was only a sigh or other body language. Some days she wished he did almost anything other than being a fireman. Whenever she heard the scanner sound off and heard his station responding or news report about firemen being hurt, she would say a little prayer that he would come home safe. She knew that if it were humanly possible Johnny would make sure he would do exactly that. A.J. had made the same promise, not that either of them had to, it was an unwritten commandment to take care of their own, and they were all extended family.

She knew that she would be foolish to try and make him be anything else; it simply wouldn't work and even if she could do it, he wouldn't be happy performing another job. To be a rescue paramedic wasn't just what he did, it was who he was. Besides there was something about a man in uniform, she laughed softly out loud.

"Hey Hon, are you all set?" Roy asked while walking into the room. Before she could answer he was bombarded by two little ankle biters flinging themselves at him.

"Daddy, Daddy! Yea, your home!" Jenny was hanging off of his forearm giggling.

"Are you leaving soon Momma? We're gonna watch football with Daddy, Uncle Johnny and their friends!" Chris was so proud to be watching the game with all of the grown ups.

"Gee, it's nice to know that you'll miss me!" Jo made a pouting face towards her children.

"Momma, we'll miss you....I promise!!" She ran over to her afraid for a moment that she was serious.

"Yeah mom, you know better than that!" Chris placed his tiny hands on his hips to emphasize his point.

Roy fondly watched his wife tease their children. It only enforced what he already knew, that she was a wonderful mother and partner. He often thought about how much she really did to keep the family together. In reality she paid the bills, balanced the checkbook, and kept the household running efficiently. That was on top of being Super Mom for the children.

"I'll miss you too Jo; I mean who's gonna cook dinner, do the dishes, and the laundry......" He was ready and had to duck when she picked up the pillows on the bed and tossed them at his head. If she had actually believed that he had been serious, she would have thrown something a lot harder and aimed for another body part.

The kids ran off to play, satisfied that all was well. She started to stuff more items into her bags. "So Roy how bad was the shift? Was it a bad accident or a bad fire?"

"How did you?" He hadn't even said a word about it since walking in the house. To followed the questions with, "Wow I must 'really' look like shit!"

She laughed at him. "No, you don't.....yeah, you look pretty ragged...." There was no use telling a lie.

"It wasn't a 'bad' fire in that way, it just took forever to get the house fire under control and extinguish the flames that leapt to the trees around it. Then when part of the roof caved in, Johnny and A.J. were underneath!" He quickly added, "No! You can relax their fine! Really, nothing broken, no serious burns, nothing. I can't figure it, between the two of them they have used up the lives of half a dozen cats!" He was joking, yet with a serious undertone. He didn't want to entertain the thought of losing either one of his friends.

"Alright, I am sure that I remembered everything. I have changes of clothes, towels, tarps, our tent...." She was mentally going over her list. She was determined to not have to one thing forgotten, you know where you don't realize till your two thirds of the way there.

"Did you grab the first aid kit?" Roy questioned.

"Well, I am sure A.J. will bring more than enough supplies. Plus, Dixie has a massive bag full of goodies; she normally keeps in her car."

"You can 'never' have too many supplies, trust me! Besides I'll feel better knowing that you have it with you." His voice told her not to argue, his time as a draftee had taught him that there was no such thing as 'too' prepared.

Roy and Joanne took everything out and set it all on the front porch. A.J. and Johnny would arrive any minute. He had volunteered his Range Rover for the long drive into the mountains. They were taking two vehicles; that would leave plenty of space for their items and all five women.


	3. Chapter 3

When the Hunters Become the Hunted

Chapter 3

It was yet another beautiful day, perfect weather for driving, which was good because it was about a ninety minute drive to the state park. The other women also met up at the DeSoto house. Before they left Joanne and Roy were kind enough to cook them a delicious breakfast, that way they didn't have to stop on the way up to the campsite. Each of them were eager to make the most out of the four days that they had, which meant leaving as soon as possible.

During the meal they enjoyed each others company, although Johnny and Roy did feel a little out of place amongst all of the women. They were of course good sports though, trying to participate in the conversations. Both of them were far more comfortable discussing sports, firefighting, being a paramedic, any thing else other than the idle chatter that was taking place.

"So Sandy, have you ever been a victim of the Phantom?" Wolfie asked her, while watching the scrunched up face of her dear Johnny, he was all too familiar with the _mysterious_ jokester.

"No, I have of course heard all about his exploits but I think that _who ever_ he is, he's bright enough not to mess with me!" She attempted to hold a serious expression on her face as she answered the question.

The rest of them laughed, they couldn't imagine Chet being so dense as to try and pull a stunt like that on her. Hopefully he had learned a lesson when Wolfie and her cohorts played the ultimate trick on him, in retaliation for a wicked one he had orchestrated on her and Johnny. It had involved Chet, a good looking woman, her 'husband' and him screaming like a little girl; all of which had been immortalized in several photographs.

"A.J., what ever made you want to be a firefighter or a paramedic?" The question came from Stoker's new girlfriend, Alice. Like a lot, if not most women she couldn't comprehend wanting to do that kind of job. She wouldn't admit it but she wasn't quite sure if she believed that a woman could do it, after all it took such strength to do all the things that they did. How could a woman possibly be strong enough to be able to carry people out of a burning building, carry all of the tools or pull all the heavy hoses?

"I never have a good answer to that question and I've been asked several times. I have multiple generations that have and do run with various volunteer companies back home and on the reservation, including my dad. That's probably where it started, my parents have always believed in community service and they instilled that in me. Then once I got bit by the bug it was the beginning of the end!" A.J. could sense the underlying question in the woman's mind. She hadn't been dating Mike very long and this trip was going to be chance to get to know her better.

Also noting the unspoken reservation Roy spoke up, "Before she joined the department I don't think any of us could imagine that a _chickee_ could have large enough biceps to run with the big boys!" He found himself unable to resist using the adjective, her _extended family _were the only ones who were privileged to use it, nor was he able to stop himself from giggling.

"You know that the first time we met, she carried me out of a warehouse fire? Some debris had come raining down and knocked me out cold!" At the time Johnny had been chagrinned, not wanting anyone to know that _a_ _girl_ had rescued him. Now he was more than proud to retell it to anyone who would listen.

"She is a brave woman indeed! Not only for being a rescue paramedic but for wrangling our Johnny here! That in itself is a tremendous feat!" Dixie flashed one of her trademark smiles, while Johnny stuck his tongue out at her.

Emily Stanley chuckled, "I remember when Hank came home the first shift she ran with them. He was sort of in a panic; he had no idea how to deal with a woman being there for a whole shift. However, it wasn't long before she won him and the guys over. When her probation period was over he was depressed because she was leaving!"

Alice was in awe listening to the group continue the conversation. They all had a story to tell about A.J., her rescues, close calls and how their lives had changed since she was in them. She could easily see the bond that twinned them together and their love for her. Deep inside her heart ached, how she yearned for that kind of total acceptance and devotion. Her and Mike had been seeing each other for a short period of time and she was afraid to trust the feelings that were growing inside her for him.

The conversation morphed into another one a few more times before everyone was done eating. Jo stood up to begin to clear the dishes from the table. "Hon, don't worry about these, Junior and I can take care of them. Why don't you gals get going?" Roy was already filling the sink with water and suds.

"Now _you're_ the one trying to get rid of me?" She lightly pushed him on his toned chest, pretending to be offended.

"Come on Jo, it isn't often that he gets to sit around in his boxers, scratch his butt and belch the alphabet!" Roy swatted his partner on the arm, as Joanne grinned and started laughing.

"Oh the sights and sounds that I am going to miss!" She rolled her eyes at the both of them. "They really are two peas in a pod. What on earth would they do with out each other?" The question ran through her mind.

After accomplishing stuffing and stacking all of their gear into the two vehicles, the women piled in and began the journey to the mountains side retreat from their everyday lives. Each and everyone of them were anxious to arrive, unpack and set up camp. They would most likely make it there before noon; at least that was the plan. Hopefully they wouldn't run into any heavy traffic along the way.


	4. Chapter 4

When the Hunters Become the Hunted

Chapter 4

Roy and Johnny worked at clearing the dishes and putting everything away. The house was quiet, except for the sounds of Jenny and Chris playing in one room or another. Their energy was still at an all time high; in actuality it never really lessened to any other level.

"You know Junior; I think this is the longest both of them have been away from us." There was times where Jo went to see family for a few days but not that she was usually away on any kind of vacation with out him.

"Yah, I know, it really seems odd." His voice was not in his usual lively tone.

"What is Johnny? What's bothering you? You don't know what it's like to be by yourself anymore?" Roy was teasing him but knew something was off. After all these years of running together and being friends, he could read his partner fairly well.

"No, that's not it. I guess I'm just a worry wart. I worry about them, her. I suppose that I want to protect her from…..oh, I don't know. Their only going camping, it's not like she's going off to war." There was something he just couldn't explain, sitting deep in his gut. Was it just him being the caveman again, wanting to be her white knight, even when she didn't need one?

"Come on Junior, they're all going to have a great time! They can spend their time, hiking, bird watching and talking about how the men in their lives are so_ perfect_ in everyway!" Roy chuckled.

"I know Roy, it's probably just me. I know that part of it at least goes back to when I watched her die, you know literally die. In those few minutes, I thought my world had ended." The memory of that day would be etched in his mind for all eternity.

Suddenly somber, Roy placed his hand on his best friend's back. "I remember every second of those days too. From the moment we heard her gasping for breath over the HT, to when Brackett pronounced time of death." Obviously not the same level but he and the rest of the guys had felt the exact same way, when Brackett had come out to tell them she had died.

"Besides, can you imagine the idiot who would be dumb enough to try anything with her, especially all of them together?" Johnny's dread was beginning to worry him a little. There was more the one occasion where his intuitions had merit.

"It's just that she has been through, experienced so much. This is just me being a mother hen, I guess. She knows more about fighting and self defense than me! You remember when she flipped that biker into the wall at Rampart?" That brought a slight smile to his face, it was a much more amusing memory that he held onto.

"How could I forget? I doubt Brackett ever will either! She laid him right out, like it was a walk in the park!" They had only just gotten to know her; it was during her probation period. Even then it was clear that she was unlike any other woman that any of them had encountered before.

"You are right, Roy! The weather is supposed to be sunny and mild, no storms in sight. If any of them have any boo boos, isn't like Dixie and her couldn't handle it!" If he was being honest about it, he was actually a little jealous. He had never been to that particular forest but had heard great things about it.

Then again watching the game in a couple of days, at his house, with his close friends; was going to be great too. Besides Jenny and Chris there was going to be two other kids there. Most likely they were going to be more than happy to explore around the house and property for most of the time. A good portion of the yard was completely fenced in and they could be watched from the living room the entire time. Plus the dogs would no doubt be running around as much as the kids. Hopefully, they would tire each other out.

"Uncle Johnny, when are we going to go to your house?" Chris asked, running into the room.

"Oh, in a couple of days, then you two can play with Skittles and Taffy!" He smiled down at the little boy peering up at him.

Jenny had just walked in, joining her brother. "Kit Kat and Midnight, like to play too!" She loved all of their animals; the dogs would run around and play with them. The cats liked to be held and snuggled too. When they took naps, they would all curl up together with them.

"Also remember guys, Alex and Stacey Stanley is coming over with their Daddy." He had told his Captain to bring them, it only made sense, the kids were already friends with them and they were only a few years older than Roy's children.

"Daddy, what are we gonna do for the rest of the time till Momma and Aunt A.J. get back?" Chris loved it when Daddy had days off, they would do all kinds of cool thing together.

"Well, if you guys want I was thinking that Uncle Johnny could spend some time with us till then. Today he could help us finish working on your doll house Jenny. That is unless you would like him to go home." He already knew what their reaction would be; they loved him too, which was no secret.

"NO!! Uncle Johnny, you stay here with us!" They shouted in unison, grabbing his long legs in a bear hug.

"Well if I am going to keep getting hugs like that, then I guess I have on choice!" His grin broadened, the kids could always make things seem a little bit brighter, no matter what.


	5. Chapter 5

When the Hunters Become the Hunted

Chapter 5

The ride was most pleasant; there was virtually no traffic on the roads to slow it up. This was one advantage to being able to take time off during the week, instead of the more crowded weekend. A.J., Jo and Dixie went in the Range Rover and Emily, Sandy and Alex rode in Emily's sedan. Each group had their radios blaring, singing to almost any song that came on. It actually only took a little over an hour to arrive at the park and about 35 minutes to drive up to the other side of the spacious park.

In using the word campsite to describe where they were going wasn't exactly accurate. Where they were spending their days wasn't an official site, it was just a spot in the wilderness that was picked out by the group. A.J. had camped here only once before and had been eager to come back and hike the waterfall trail again.

As far back as she could remember she had always been at home in the great out doors. In Pennsylvania she was raised on her mother's family farm and she spent most of her summers in the Dakotas on the reservation with her grandparents, who owned a small ranch. There were small towns in both areas that she would walk to for groceries and such but she never lived anywhere that you couldn't hear the owls and crickets at night.

So out here she felt at home. Her home located just inside the Los Angeles County line was on the outskirts of a small town, in a large township. It was surrounded by closer neighbors then any other place she lived but they were all friendly and nice, so it made up for the difference.

The others were happy to there but they were all _city girls_, which didn't mean anything other than that they weren't as comfortable or knowledgeable of the woods. Dixie was more of the exception; she had been raised in a very rural area in northern California. Camping and fishing were what her family and friends did for entertainment, the same as Wolfie. They would be the ones to map out where the trails were and what was safe to eat and what they should avoid.

In a short while the tent was up and the site was laid out. The tent was large enough to sleep 10, so it was more than enough room for the group. They had only brought enough basic supplies to cook with; but nothing too extravagant, all of them had decided that they wanted to rough it. It was only lunch time, so making the noon time meal was in order.

"So do you guys want a little lunch, like sandwiches, then we can go on a short hike or do you want to eat a larger meal now then wait to hike until later in the afternoon?" Dixie inquired, as A.J. finished securing the tarp on the top of the tent.

"I don't know about you guys but I am tired of sitting, I would like to take at least a walk around the site here, to get some blood circulation in my legs!" Joanne informed everyone while sitting in a chair and rubbing her calves.

"So do you guys camp often?" A.J. couldn't resist asking because she was sure by the body language of Alex that she wasn't usually the out doors type. This was probably the first time she had been camping.

"Hank and I take the kids fairly often but not usually this far out into the real woods. There is a local camp ground only about 40 minutes outside Carson, so we have a site up there. It's nice because we can go even when it's on when he's off for two days or make a day trip when he only has one in between shifts." Emily loved the little spot and her kids could still run around like little monsters and work off some of their ending energy.

"Oh Chet has taken me out hiking a few times she we've been dating. I never really went camping and hiking much growing up. We lived in a suburb outside of LA." Sandy grinned because this was so new to her, but the fresh air was intoxicating. There wasn't a trace of the smog from LA that at times snaked its way towards the smaller city of Carson, although it was never blanketed the way it did the sprawling metropolis.

"Roy and grew up together, his family never really did much out doors, and mine did somewhat. We did some hiking or at least walks outside and picnics, that sort of thing. Then we had the kids we decided that we wanted to give them more of that, than we had growing up. So when it's really nice weather like this we try and get out and go camping several times over the spring and summer and even the fall." Joanne loved to just sit and watch nature around her; it was nice change from the bustle of the city. Their house had a fairly nice sized property to it and it was in a beautiful neighborhood but it was still not that far out of Carson, the city could be seen on the horizon.

Dixie was putting some bologna sandwiches together and began talking with out even looking up from her task. "When I was a little girl we spent more time outside than in the house for most of the year. Now it did snow sometimes, up north. However, even then we ran around bare foot most of the time. My dad took all of us kids camping or exploring the woods, teaching us about the animals, plant life etc."

Sandy had been listening to the other women in the group and she felt a little self conscious. She had never set foot into woods of any kind until now. She had grown up in the heart of LA, her parents weren't poor but any stretch of the imagination, so she had all the material things she ever needed. This was completely outside of her comfort zone and a part of her was still wondering if this wasn't a big mistake.

"Sandy, it's alright you know, there's nothing to feel uncomfortable about it." A.J.'s voice broke into her second thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"It's no big deal if this is your first real out door excursion. We won't bite and we'll even make sure the squirrels don't either!" She hoped the humor in her tone would help Alice relax a little.

It seemed to be working, Alice's surprised expression turned into laughter. "Was I _that _obvious? Yeah, I am a born and raised city girl; the only real trees off our property I saw were in magazines!" She suddenly felt better about the retreat; these women had been more than kind and friendly to her since she had met them.

"You seem to more at home here than anyone, so assume you have spent a lot of time camping before?" Alice had a disadvantage; she had not yet gotten to know the rest of them that well, including A.J.

With a small chuckle Wolfie explained, "You could say that! I grew up in Pennsylvania, very rural, small town area. My father's parents live on a reservation in the Dakotas; my Lakota family taught me everything about plant life, our animal friends, how to survive in any environment and how to be a tracker."

"What's a tracker?" This time is was Sandy asking the question.

"It's how to follow any animal or make a nature map to find your way out of any location. You can create subtle markers that most people couldn't spot, marking the trail you're on. This also works for hunting for food, doing it in such a way that the prey never even knows that you are following it." A.J. hoped that her explanation made sense.

"Well ladies, lunch is served!" Dixie had laid out the sandwiches, water, chips and Danishes for them to feast on.

They munched on the grub and relaxed amongst each, creating new conversations to get to know each other better. There was still not one single cloud in the sky. The immense trail of waterfalls would wait till another day. They instead were going to simply take a stroll through the land around their site.

Nothing seemed out of place, the camp ground they passed on their way here had seemed relatively spare in population considering the weather. Then again it wasn't exactly unusual either; it was the middle of the week. Nothing could have been planned better; the women were all having a great start to their time off.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The friends filled the rest of their day with more laughter and relaxation. The weather was beyond perfection, no clouds with a light breeze sifting its way through the mountains. The temperature was several degrees cooler amongst the trees but was still warm enough that they all wore shorts, light colored shirts, and hiking boots. The trees were brilliant shades of green; the foliage covered the forest floor. The water falls were a distance away from was they spent their afternoon, but the sweet scent of moss and pure running water waffled through out the mountainside.

It was apparent to all that this had been the great idea that A.J. had set in motion several weeks ago. Working around so many different schedules had been a grueling task but was worth the group effort. Dixie who almost never took time off had to be 'arm twisted' by Dr. Brackett. She wanted to go along on the trip but was having second thoughts about how to plan her absence on the ever so complicated nurses' schedule. He used his 'charms' to convince she needed to take some time for herself for a change. One of the things that had brought them together in their current off duty relationship was their almost obsessive dedication to their professions.

A.J.'s wasn't difficult since the department's schedule is set up for an entire four months in advance, she didn't even have to take time off. She simply scheduled it into her normal four days off in a row. Emily and Jo were full time homemakers which meant that it was a little simpler to juggle their agendas. It was made even easier because their husbands shared the same schedule as Wolfie, so getting a babysitter wasn't even necessary. The rest of their normal routines could be covered by their better halves as well.

Alice owned a coffee shop that had opened up caddy corner to Station 51; it had quickly become very successful. She already had several employees, so it was possible for her take off and still have confidence in the shop running smoothly. Sandy worked as an independent Realtor, so with a little shuffling she could take off whenever she pleased. This seemed to be bond she shared with Dixie and Alice, all being work alcoholics.

"You know I don't think I have been this relaxed in a very long time!" Alice was beginning to open up, feeling more secure with other women.

"I know exactly what you mean, except I am trying not to imagine the fantastic real estate possibilities up here!" Sandy giggled.

"Oh, you're killing me, Sandy! I don't want to even think of this unspoiled nature being polluted by so many people!" Emily spoke before Wolfie could say the exact same thing.

"I agree with you, actually, it's just the little Realtor voice in my head never really shuts up!" The others laughed with her.

"You know I really need to force myself to get out of that hospital more often! The fresh air, not a patient or wound insight, it is beyond words!" Dixie meant that wholeheartedly, in her everyday life in the emergency department too many of the cases were life threatening or tragic in some other way.

Along the way A.J. took the time to show them some of the plants that were perfectly alright to snack on and which ones would at the very least make them pray to the porcelain god, also making certain to show the others who didn't know which plants were Poisons Sumac and Oak. On their hike they came across many of the creatures who inhabited the mountainside, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits were the most plentiful. At one point the sky was blessed with a pair of golden eagles, dancing a graceful air ballet.

"Oh my word, they are so beautiful, almost magical", exclaimed Joanne.

"Growing up sometimes I would spend all afternoon lying on the ground just watching them teach the young how to fly. I begged my father to teach me how to fly with them!" Wolfie recalled her pleasant childhood memory.

After covering a few more miles circling around their site, they continued back to start supper. The sandwiches had been filling but now they had burned off the energy it had given them.

A.J. and Dixie were silently scanning the entire area every step of the way, making mental notes of nature landmarks, vantage positions, the direction of travel and the various paths back to the site. All of this was done subconsciously with out either woman realizing they were doing it. One of the shared bonds between the two was their training; each in separate decades had served in the Army, during war time. Most civilians would not be aware that when it came to survival skills females had the exact training as their male counterparts. Even though they didn't serve in literal combat positions, they were still very much in a potentially lethal environment. Mash and EVAC units are strategically located only a few miles from what is a continuously mobile front line.

Once they arrived back, Emily took a turn at preparing their next meal. A.J. went about lighting the campfire, they had agreed that they would spent their first evening getting to know each other better and just taking it easy. The temperature had begun to drop with the sun setting lower in the sky. Wolfie took the time to clear a large area around the actual makeshift fire ring, this was important to lower the risk of any of the embers floating outside the ring, sparking a wild fire.

Now dressed in jeans and light jackets they sat around the now roaring fire. Its warmth took the chill out of the dusk sky. Mugs of coffee were in the hands of all of them, with the exception of A.J.; she could stand the taste of coffee so she had brought some herbal teas along herself.

"So A.J. what is it like working so closely with Johnny so often? I mean I can't imagine what it would be like to see Hank and know what danger he was in on every call they went to." Emily asked, she had often wondered to herself.

"Well it is a little weird at times. Since we both do the same job, we can fully understand the passion and rewards to this career. However at the same time we equally understand the risks involved too. That can be a small draw back. We both try very hard to keep the job and our personal lives as separate as humanly possible."

"When are the two of you finally going to set a date?" Joanne winked at her best friend, awaiting the scornful look she was about to shoot her.

A.J.'s eyes rolled up, reflecting how much she wanted to answer that question. "Oh I think sometime before the turn of the century! No really between both sides of my family, our schedules; we haven't figured that out yet. We want to do two weddings, one a with a pastor and another traditional Lakota ceremony."

"So have the two of you discussed having children yet? Would you still stay with the department?" Dixie figured this was as good a time as any to inquire about that.

"How exactly did this turn into give Wolfie the third degree session?" Although she was embarrassed she was expecting the twenty questions. They certainly weren't the first ones to bombarded her with these inquires, that prize belonged to her parents.

She redirected the question with, "So Sandy, Chet apparently hasn't driven you off yet?

Having a at least temporary reprieve from the inquisition, the conversation switched over to Sandy and Chet. Which was more than fine by her; she really took no joy in talking about herself, when it came to personal feelings, etc.

The sun had set and it the night air was becoming brisk, even cold. The only thing that broke into the abyss of darkness was the glow of the campfire. After a few hours the road trip began to weight on them and slowly they each retired to the tent, allowing sleep to wash over them.

As they slept they were completely unaware of what lie on the other side of the mountain, not far from the trail of 92 waterfalls.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Johnny lay awake in bed at home; he hadn't slept well at all. He and A.J. had of course spent time apart in the nearly two and a half years they had been together, however this was the first time that he had woken up alone, since he had moved in with her. Long before that he spent the majority of their nights off at her place anyway. Now the only time he slept alone was when they were both on shift.

He hated the emptiness in the bed, although the animals were content to take up her side of the bed, which was in somewhat a comfort. They had been expressing their displeasure in 'Mommy' not being home. This was really not the true reason he had trouble sleeping. Deep down he couldn't shake this feeling of...well he was still having trouble placing exactly what it was. Still no matter what he did with the kids or how much he was looking forward to the game; he couldn't escape the knot in his stomach that had been slowly tightening since she had left with the others.

In many ways he envied her faith and knowledge of their Lakota heritage. He had grown up on the reservation and had learned many of the traditions, especially observing nature, hunting with a bow and becoming a tracker. However it was the spiritual aspect of both the Lakota and Christian faiths he was never really taught much of. Especially since meeting her he had begun to further explore spiritually. She had this uncompromising, steadfast belief that amazed him, considering what brutality she had endured at such a young age.

He could still remember looking down at the canyon where she nearly lost her life. She had begged him to take her back there, so she could cleanse herself. Roy had gone with them. It was there that she told them that an angel had appeared to her, not only in the ravine but also in the warehouse where she had used up another of her nine lives. Before that he had really never believed or disbelieved one way or another. However there certainly were times where he and the guys had escaped situations that should have ended their lives or at least left them crippled.

His mind snapped back to reality when a wet, soft tongue began licking his face while standing on top of his naked chest. The younger of the Jack Russell's, Taffy was giving him her usual morning puppy kisses. As if on cue, the other joined on the fun. The cats simply looked up not bothering to stop their start of the day grooming.

He decided to get up and begin his day, the guys would be at the house in a few hours to watch one of the biggest games of the season and of course down some beers and other 'healthy foods' that included pizza, chips, pretzels and various sweet deserts. The only thing that saved the bunch from weighing 300 lbs each was the fact that between working out and the job itself they burned far more calories then they took in.

He pushed his nagging feeling further back into his mind. He certainly couldn't call her or just drive up there like some love sick control freak. There was simply no rational reason to whatever was bothering him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

He had just finished laying out all of the snacks and the beer keg, when he heard Roy's car pulling into the parking lot. He had long ago learned to recognize the sound of his partner's vehicle. This was a trait that was part of the manly man's handbook, the ability to determine the make and model of a car by the sound of it's engine, of course in actuality, this rarely worked.

When the door opened he braced him self for the attack of the ankle biters that he was about to endure. He would be seriously worried if either Chris or Jenny didn't come running at the sight of him.

"Uncle Johnny, we're HERE!" , came the chorus of the two of them shouting for him. It hadn't even been twenty four hours since they were together but that didn't matter one bit to them.

The dogs had already been alerted to the visitors and had come flying into greet their guests. The kids were both on their knees waiting patiently for their puppy kisses. As was the norm, the dogs all but knocked them on their little butts before they started licking them.

Roy was staring at his partner's face when Johnny walked into the room. He looked like he hadn't slept much at all. There was a slight hint of dark shadows under his brown eyes. His skin tone was at it's darkest since it was summertime, yet he seemed a little paler than normal. Most everyone else wouldn't have picked up on it but Roy knew better.

"You alright Johnny?"

"Yeah I'm fine; just a little tired. You know I'm not accustomed to sleeping alone any more!" A grin swept across his face trying to downplay his best friends concern. He didn't want to worry Roy about some unfounded feelings he couldn't explain to himself much less his friend.

"Well the rest of the gang should be here anytime now! You two wanna pull out the toy box in the living room? Then you can show Alex and Stacey around; they've never been here before!" Johnny was hoping to lighten the heavy mood that had premeditate the room.

Roy stood there for a moment, watching his partner walk away with his children dangling off of his forearms. He couldn't stop fretting over what Johnny had expressed yesterday. What if there was something to his _feelings_? He was certain that Gage's sleepless night was only partly due to him simply missing his fiancée. What could possibly go wrong on a camping trip that could bring such worry into Johnny's eyes?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The brightness from the sunrise pierced through the tent waking up A.J. She glanced around noticing that she was the first one to wake up. She stretched her arms above her head, making a note to herself to move the position of her sleep bag since it was apparent that there was a rather unfriendly tree root underneath it.

She sat there for a few moments taking in the harmonious sounds of the forest. She could hear some of them at home but nothing like the unadulterated ones that floated through the terrain out here. Yesterday she hadn't had a worry in the world but since then something had crept into her subconscious. She couldn't sort out exactly what is that lie in the back of her mind. Maybe it was just because she felt responsible for the group. With the exception of Dixie none of them had any real experience out here in the wilderness. Then she shook her head, "Come on A.J. it's just a few days in the mountains; it's not like we're out in the jungles of Nam."

Further speculation was disrupted by a yawn. It was coming from across the tent where Alice was blinking her eyes trying to adjust to the daylight. She saw A.J. sitting up and waved a sleepy Hello. She was surprised at how soundly she had slept. Yesterday she had been certain that sleeping on the ground would result in anything but a restful nights sleep. It also amazed her that somehow she felt very secure amongst these women that she had known for such a short period of time.

Usually she was a more an independent person, not really relying on anyone else. Her parents had never been very demonstrative with their affections, in fact she couldn't remember either of them ever saying the words 'I Love you', so least to say hugs and kisses were exactly their thing either. That wasn't to say that she didn't have friends, although none of them were what she would call close friends. In reality she had more personal time with these new friends than she had ever had in her life.

Perhaps that was why she was having such a difficulty letting Mike in; well actually it was the fact that she had started to let him in that bothered her. It was unnerving that somehow he was easily breaking down the barriers that she worked so hard to keep standing. Trust was not something that came easy to her, yet she felt herself believing in him before any real promises were even made between each other. One of the first things she noticed about him was his eyes, so soulful and kind. He was very shy which was an endearing trait to her. Of course his tight little butt in those blue jeans didn't escape her attention for very long either. That memory made her smile and giggle quietly to herself.

At least she thought it was quietly until a voice said, "Do you always wake up laughing to yourself?" Sandy asked with an undertone of annoyance. She wasn't exactly a morning person, especially before a strong cup of coffee. Perky people were not necessarily a welcome sight, not that she had anything against Alice personally.

"Oh, I'll bet it was a certain Engineer that made her light up like that!" Dixie teased her. When Stoker had been brought in a couple of months back for some minor burns and smoke inhalation, Alice had come in frantically looking for him. Dix had calmed her down, explaining that it was nothing serious and a somewhat routine injury for a firefighter to experience. They had a rather lengthy conversation and it was fairly obvious even then that she was falling hard for the quietest member of Station 51.

With out trying to she began to blush, her cheeks flushing to a deep crimson. Her first gut reaction was to feel offended by Dixie's comment. Then she stopped herself, realizing that it was only good natured ribbing.

"Well everyone here has seen what Mike looks like in a pair of jeans, right? Then I think you can understand what image I was picturing!" She couldn't believe that she had actually said that out loud. The burst of laughter that followed made it apparent that they were all thinking the very same thing. Alice laughed right along with them.

"I have always said there is something about a man in uniform!" Joanne continued to giggle like a little school girl. "Sometimes I sweet talk him into wearing it when we're alone. It really does something for me." She was biting at her lip with an image all her own.

"The first time I saw Hank was at the party following his graduation ceremony from the fire academy. I was good friends with his best friend's girlfriend at the time. She invited me, when we were introduced he was still in his Class A uniform. Well, I actually stuttered a little trying to force myself to look into his eyes and not allow them to drift to any other part of him!" Emily candidly stated.

"Chet is no slough either, you know! I'm even getting to like that mustache! When we first started dating, I hated how it tickled when he kissed me....well now I kinda like that part!" Sandy raised her eyebrows up and down, not that the others didn't get the not so subtle hint.

Dixie was debating as to whether or not she should share anything about Kel. Their relationship was not as traditional as everyone else's. They loved each other; there was no doubt about that. It had been several years that they had been happily dating but neither of them had ever approached the subject of marriage. She had been engaged before, twice, but it had never worked out in the end. Besides he seemed content on things staying where they were as well.

"Let me tell you ladies that I hate those long white doctor coats!" She waited for the 'huh?' expression to cross all of their faces. "It hides one of Kel's many, many fine features!" She noticed A.J. particularity nodding her head, with a knowing smile in agreement.

"So I guess all of you are waiting for me to say something so shallow about Johnny?" A wicked grin had already taken over her face. "I will only say that a loin cloth can be a real turn on! Hmmm, maybe that's why I always had a thing for Tarzan when I was younger!!"

Everyone started to howl, their eyes tearing up from laughing so hard. It was several minutes before any of them could even catch their breath. Since they were all very much awake now and since none of their better halves were around; their only other option was to wash up, eat breakfast and begin the second day of their outing.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

On the other side of the mountain past the waterfall trail there were two men hiking through the tall trees. There mission wasn't that of rest and relaxation, it was to retrieve something that they were owed. They were having a family reunion of sorts, eager to 'catch up' on old times.

"How much further is it, my feet are killing me!" The younger of the two had been whining since they had started their trek uphill.

"You know if you weren't my brother, I would have pushed you over that last bluff an hour ago!" He spat at him.

"Well I don't understand why you couldn't have buried it somewhere flat! I mean why did ya haffa stick it way up here!"

"I'm telling you to shut up, already! This is a public park! You don't know if we're gonna come across hikers or campers! That's all we need is for someone to hear you hollering about buried treasure!" He often seriously wondered if their Mother had smacked his kid brother on the head one too many times.

"Oh Derek, please don't be sore at me! I'm sorry I'll try to be quiet...." The younger man whimpered.

The blond man put up his hand; signally they were going to stop for a short rest break. They had covered a large distance; they were a slightly ahead of schedule. They weren't meeting at the actual hiding place; he would only take them to it when they were all together.

"Danny calm down! I'm not mad at you; listen, you know how much money we're gonna have, right? This is the last day that your belly is gonna be hungry. I just don't want anything to go wrong; you don't want me to go back to prison do ya?"

"NO! Oh please you can't leave me again! I tried staying at home but Momma gets real mad! She hits me on the head all the time! I promise I'll do whatever you want!" He was actually shaking at the possibility.

"Alright, now let's keep moving. The faster we get there, the sooner we can get our money and we can go away where Momma can never hurt you again." He could care less about any one else in this world but his kid brother didn't deserve what that Witch did to him.

It was only another fifteen minutes or so of walking before they were at their destination. In perfect timing the other two men were headed up the opposite side of the tree line. They were a few years older were a lot more haggard looking then the younger brothers. They also carried something that the others didn't, 9mm handguns on their hips and bowing knives tucked into their boots.

"Long time no see Burt!" Derek called out to the taller one as they approached them. He had been the only one who knew exactly where the money had been hidden. Since he was the only one who had been prosecuted for the bank job; he wanted to make certain that the money would still be there when he got out.

"So you finally convinced the parole board that you are a changed man?" Burt responded with a sly grin. His teeth would never be on a toothpaste commercial, they were a sickening shade of gray.

"But of course, I just looked them right in the eye and said that I would be a good little boy!" He did his imitation of an angelic smile, which came across as anything but.

The other man finally spoke up. "Did you really have to bring the retard?" He pointed one of his bony fingers towards Danny.

"I am NOT retarded! Tell 'um Derek....tell 'um I'm not stupid!" Danny was all but hiding behind him as he shouted back at the others.

"Easy Danny, take it easy!" He shot a look at the heavier set man. "He's not an idiot; he's just a little slow!"

"Now, now gentlemen; we are losing sight of the reason we all have met here today...the money. Let us go to the hiding spot, once we dig it up we can all say our goodbyes and never lay eyes on each other again." Burt was stockier than Sid; his partner in the numerous heists they had pulled off over the years.

"OK, then would you care to follow me? I'll take you to the site, look there are bound to be people all around, so we should try and look like just another group of hikers walking the trails."

The men headed off. Their trek would take them to the top of the mountain and down the other side....to the trail of 92 waterfalls, exactly where the friends were already hiking and enjoying each others company.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The morning sun was brilliant and warm as they started off on their hike. They had eaten a filling, yet light breakfast to give them the energy they would need till lunch. They each carried back packs filled with various supplies from water, food, first aid supplies, rope, etc. A.J. had in her sack three Polaroid cameras that she was going to surprise them with when they arrived at the first larger waterfall.

The trail itself was an easy one that anyone could walk along. What made it more interesting was that if a hiker wanted to make if more challenging, they could crawl around behind some of the higher waterfalls and look out while no one on the trail side could see in. Most people wouldn't even notice that it was even possible to do that. In either case although it was a easier trail hikers still had to be cautious, many of the waterfalls were located right up against the walking path itself, making the ground soft and mossy.

The positive ions that were created by the water crashing down on the rocks was intoxicating, so purifying. If anyone were to put their face up close to the cascading water, they would be breathing almost pure oxygen. The temperature was hot enough that the mist floating off of them was refreshing.

Taking in the scenery was an easy task to do for all of the women. The city seemed more like a million miles away, instead of just the northern end of LA County. Several bird species were singing their hearts out, apparently just as content with the weather as they were.

As they approached the first waterfall, A.J took off her pack and crouched down to unzip it. Since they had already walked a several miles both to get there and on the trail itself, they sat down on some of the larger rocks; curious to see what Wolfie was doing. To their surprise she unveiled the three cameras.

"So I thought that we could make this a little interesting. There is only one worn path around the falls, all the way to the end of it. That got me to thinking that maybe you guys would be interested in a little contest. We can split up into to teams of two; each team gets a camera." She pulled out three packets containing photos of several different animals and plants, along with additional film cartridges and bulbs.

"Why on earth would you buy three of these cameras?" Emily asked, after all they weren't exactly an inexpensive item. Then the cost of the bulbs and film would have added up as well.

"Oh, I didn't. You see one of the patients that Brice and I had a few months back owned a camera store, where he also developed his own film. Anyway, we got a call for a sick person. When we got there several of his 'loyal' customers were trying to walk out with some of his merchandise. Brice managed to hold most of them at bay until a cop got there a couple of minutes later. He was having a heart attack, so got Rampart on the line and began treating him. After wards he was so thankful that he gave us both two cameras and boxes of bulbs and film. The other one I already had."

"Wow, that was extremely generous of him!" remarked Alice.

"We politely refused to take the stuff, explaining to him why we couldn't. Well apparently he felt so strongly about it that he called Headquarters and spoke to one of the higher ups. We got a call at the station giving us permission to accept the gifts!" Wolfie grinned.

"What's the contest?" Sandy was wondering.

"Well, each team get these envelopes. They contain photos of different animals and plants and a list with all of the names of each one on it. Each team will hike the trail and take pictures of each plant and animal that they can find. We'll all meet at the end of the trail, whoever has the most identifications can doesn't have do any of the cleanup when we pack everything up in a couple of days. How does that sound?"

"I'm game!" Joanne spoke up as the others nodded in agreement. "How are we going to pair up?"

"I think we are all grown ups here!" Dixie said sounding like a stuffing school teacher. "Why don't we just pick partners? Sandy would you like to be my friend?" This time she raised her tone to sound like a little kindergartner.

"Well alright then, I wanna be with Joanne!" Emily darted over and grabbed her by the arm, laughing.

"Then I guess it's just you and me, Alice!" Wolfie smiled.

Alice looked uneasy for just a brief moment than laughed and said, "I think I lucked out! My buddy has spent more time among the trees that inside a house!" She glanced at A.J. hoping she didn't offend her by her assumption.

"Wow! How you guess that? You know you're probably right, especially in the summertime! We always worked outside, and then had family fun outside most of the time as well." A.J. carried a plenitude of happy memories when it came to her family.

Gathering up the rest of their supplies and donning their back packs once again, the friends headed down the trail, leaving several minutes behind each other. Wolfie had come up with the idea and had hoped to get Alice as a partner for the day. She was eager to get to know the woman better; there was a sadness about her that concerned A.J. She had a feeling that if she were one on one with her that maybe she would open up easier and just maybe she could help her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"So Dix, how many have we found yet?" Sandy inquired her partner.

"Let's see here...six. Wow, this is harder than what I thought it would be! Although, I am having great time, no whining doctors in sight!" She chuckled.

"Chet tells me that you are the head nurse in the Emergency Department? Then I'm guessing that you are an RN?" Sandy knew a little about nursing from a friend of hers that worked in a nursing home.

"Yes, I have been a nurse virtually my whole adult life! Which are a few more years than I care to recall!" In truth she couldn't believe that many years had gone by.

"So you've never done anything else?" Sandy herself had worked at over half a dozen jobs already, before settling into real estate.

"Well if you count serving six years in the Army, then again I was a nurse then too!" She laughed again but with a more somber tone. At least a few of those years in particular had changed her world forever.

"You were in the Army?" Sandy looked very surprised. "I'm sorry that didn't come out right, it's not that I don't think you could have, more than I never suspected that you did. Wait that still isn't what I meant....."

"Relax! I understand I didn't have these nails then!" She waived her hands demonstrating. Dixie's smile masked her discomfort in discussing the topic at hand. "I served in Korea in a MASH unit, like the one on the TV show.

"WOW! That is really something! That must have been very difficult, dealing with some much death and destruction! Oh, and I want to say thank you."

"Thank me for what?" Dixie's face showed her confusion.

"Thanks for your service to our country." Sandy always made a point of telling veterans that they were appreciated, that their sacrifice wasn't forgotten.

"Well thanks for saying that!" Dixie was stunned, it was a rarity to get that kind of reaction from anyone, especially now a days. She relaxed a little, feeling a little more comfortable about answering any more questions if there was something that she wanted to know.

"It's just that I never knew anyone women who were in the military before." She was ashamed that she never really considered women also being in a war zone before, probably because she couldn't picture herself doing anything like that.

"You do know that A.J. spent as much time as I did, in the Army, right?" Dixie was certain that Wolfie wouldn't care that she was revealing that about her.

"Are you serious? Then again I guess it doesn't really surprise me, not many women want to be paramedic firefighters either! What did she do in the Army?" Sandy couldn't imagine that there were too many fields that women were allowed to be in.

"Oh, I was thinking that you knew that she was also a Registered Nurse. That was her career before moving out here. She served two tours of duty at an EVAC hospital in Vietnam." Since they were all good friends Dixie had no doubt that Wolfie wouldn't mind her revealing that part of her history. She knew that like herself most Vets simply didn't discuss their war time experiences with anyone, even friends or family. It wasn't out of shame, it was hard to explain what they had been forced to see and do. Once they left, they would always remember but chose not to think about it.

"So then I guess you two are more than capable of taking care of yourselves, then? Boy, I would pay money to see what would happen it if anyone tried anything with either of you!" She replied not knowing how prophetic her words would become.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wait, keep perfectly still!" Emily whispered to Joanne.

Freezing in her tracks she whispered back, "Why? What do you see a snake?" Her eyes were darting back and forth trying to see where the reptile was.

"No, why is that on the list?" Emily was completely missing her friend's look of panic.

Jo spun around and smacked her on the arm, just as the woodpecker flew out of the tree next to her, causing her to yelp and duck for cover. "You scared me half to death, I thought that one was going to strike out and bite me!"

"Well now the woodpecker picture is out of the question!" She blushed a little. "I'm sorry, I obviously didn't even think of that!" Emily started laughing.

"That's not funny! Johnny almost died from a Rattle Snake bite once! We're out in the middle of nowhere....." Looking at Emily laughing like a Hyena, she tried in vain not to smile. Then the smile turned into a fit of giggles.

"You know A.J and Dix are on vacation too. I don't think that they want to put any of their skills into practice! So how about you try not giving me a heart attack while we're getting these pictures!" Jo slapped her hands playfully gripping her chest.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A.J. was trying her best to convince Alice that she wasn't the short straw in the group. The woman was joking around a little here and there and was most definitely more relaxed than when they first arrived. However A.J. could sense so many conflicting emotions with in her newly found friend that it was draining her own energy. Among other things curiosity was fueling her need to get Alice to open up and release whatever was inside, poisoning her soul.

"Mike had told me a lot about the rest of the guys that he works with, what a crazy bunch, huh?" Alice didn't know all of the ladies that well and she knew their better halves even less.

"Oh they are definitely all one of a kind! Then again, that could be said for my guys at the 110 as well. I suppose that none of us that do this job are what most would consider normal." She could tell that the small talk was leading up to something more.

"What is it like, you know being in danger all of the time?"

"Well I wouldn't say all of the time! Although we do work at two busy stations we have plenty of nonsense calls where we do almost nothing at all, but fire and medical."

"It must be so hard to do get people out of burning buildings. How do you do it? How do you keep from being scared?" Alice was hoping that A.J. wouldn't take offense to her questions.

"It most certainly isn't a walk in the park. Contrary to what you see in the movies we are ALL scared, every single one of us. If I knew of a firemen that truly wasn't, I would refuse to go in a building with him. We should be scared; the place is on fire after all!" She smiled and laughed.

"Then once a while you get to carry out a really cute guy. I would be carrying him over my shoulders....which mean that I could ethically cop a feel!" A.J. used her hands in mock demonstration of grabbing a guy's butt. She took satisfaction in seeing a genuine belly laugh come from Alice.

"Well, when you put it that way! Then I can completely understand your motivation! So is that what you did with Johnny the first time you met?" Now the smile on her face was broad, showing off her brilliantly white teeth. She pictured her carrying the much taller man out of the warehouse fire.

They had walked into a section of the trail where the tree line thinned out somewhat. To their right was a thick of trees and bushes that lead to a small clearing of boulders and field grass. This was a perfect spot for deer to graze, allowing for a margin of safety for their fawns against natural predators.

"Hey, look over there! Through those trees! I think I can see more than a few deer just on the other side of this line of bushes." Wolfie told her partner. A white tailed buck, fawn and doe were on the list.

"Where?" Alice whispered. She didn't need to be a country girl to know that loud voices could scare them away.

"You'll have to be careful to not startle them. If you even make too many leaves rustle it would be enough to make them bolt." A.J. whispered her words of advice. She wanted Alice to get the shot, giving her more confidence in herself.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The four 'friends' had reached their united destination over an hour ago. The sun was on its descent downwards for the day, heading towards sunset. Three of them were doing all of the work the apparent ringleader; Burt was simply taking a supervisor position.

"You know this would go even faster if you got your butt down here and helped a little!" Burt's oldest friend Sid yelled up at him.

"Then who would keep an eye out? It isn't like we have a good explanation for digging a huge hole in the middle of state game land." Burt replied calmly. He knew that the others would simply do as he wanted. Even though Sid knew him since they were kids, he wouldn't hesitant to kill any of them to get what he wanted and they knew it.

"Wait! I think......listen!" There was a metal ding as hit smacked his shovel into the ever growing hole. "I found it!"

The men frantically dug around the object attempting to dislodge it from the grave it had been given. Their excitement level was only matched by their panic that at any moment someone or worse a park ranger would happen across them and ruin what they had waited to get their hands on for the last 3 years.

The box finally was pulled loose and after several tries they were able to heave it up above their heads to the grass at Burt's feet. Not even bothering to help them claw their way out of it, he went about prying the lid from the worn steal container, it was battered by the soil that cradled it.

The rest of them were now kneeling beside it, holding their breaths. At last glory of it's contents were obvious for all to see, the vision of the 110,000 dollars in small bills danced in their eyes. The next step was counting it out, in a four way split, each man was walking away with over twenty five grand. Four canvas bags were laid out; they would easy fit into their back packs concealing it from any observant hikers.

Since it was already dusk, shadows had begun come to darken the spot where they were dividing up the loot. Just as Derek commented that it would have been nice to have a flashlight to light up the grass, he saw a brilliant white flash. After blinking rapidly he could make out a camera being held by two slender feminine hands. Taking a second look, glancing into the trees he could see a face; a pretty brunette's profile as she turned and walked away.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, I think I got at least one of them! How many did we get?" Alice now sounded like a kid in a candy store.

"Well, if you only got one.....eight....that's really great!"

"Dang it!"

"What's wrong?"

I think the cameras jammed! Oh, I'm sorry! I can't get this picture to come out!" Alice's mood instantly changed. She was certain that A.J. would be angry over the mishap.

Sensing her friend's worry Wolfie reassured her. "Hey, don't fret about it! We'll try and figure it out back at camp. It's getting dark and I'm sure the others are probably waiting on us. Even if it's really broken; I got it for free, so who's complaining!"

They walked uphill towards the end of the trail. The sun would be nearly set before they reached camp. The blissful time away from it all was about to take an ugly turn. The bonds of friendship and survival were about to be tested to extremes that none of them had anticipated.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The entire gang had arrived at Wolfie and Johnny's house earlier in the day. Everyone had gotten there hours before the game started; it was a 5pm kick off time. Hank Stanley had brought his two children and they were more than happy to run off almost immediately with Roy's two and the puppies of course. The cats on occasion would join in on the frolicking, in between their napping on the window sills in the sun.

Hours later the food and drink was running low and it was half time, so Chet and Marco went for a short walk to the local grocery. While they were gone the rest of the guys mingled together carrying on several different conversations at the same time.

"So Kel, who are you rooting for the Steelers or the Cowboys?" Dr. Mike Morton asked, already knowing the answer.

"Come on Mike! You know that the Steel Curtain can't be beat, especially not by those guys!" Dr. Brackett knew as well that Morton was a Cowboys fan all the way.

The two doctors continued their bantering back and forth, while on the other side of the room Hank and Mike Stoker were discussing their personal lives.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mike, are you two serious?" It was a rarity for Stanley to involve himself in the personal affairs of his men and almost never at work. However this was different, Alice was the first real relationship his friend had been in since he had become his commanding officer.

"Aww Cap, I don't know. That is I know how I feel about her, it's just that when I think we're getting closer she's pulls away. I think that there is a lot about her past that she hasn't told me about. Then I start thinking that we really haven't been seeing each other all that long, maybe I'm rushing things." Stoker was normally uncomfortable talking about himself, much less his love life, however with Hank it was different, and for reasons unknown to him he felt at ease with him.

"Just take you time, you're young! No really, I have seen how she looks at you; you're both out on the same limb! Give her the time she needs and it will be worth it." Hank gave his firefighter tried and true advice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Joe Early had just come in from taking a brisk walk around the property to get the blood flow back to his bottom. The shift at the hospital had been a hectic one, particularly one of his cases. A woman had been brought in and because she had had the tar beaten out of her. She had apparently been minding her own business walking in Carson, when two men came walking towards her. She accidentally brushed by one of them. They took it as an insult because she had dared to touch one of them. They wouldn't have had a problem with it, except that she was of mixed heritage. In turn they grabbed her and drug her between buildings beating her nearly senseless till a Good Samaritan stepped in and they took off.

This made him obviously think of his niece, A.J. He cherished their relationship since she was an infant. He had seven other brothers and sisters; which also meant many other nieces and nephews, of which he loved all of them equally. However he had always had this connection with her that even his wife couldn't fully understand. He different times had watched her struggle through her childhood and teenage years, taking abuses from children and adults who could be so cruel. What amazed him was how even from a very young age she could take it in stride, as if it made no difference to her. One of her favorite phrases was, 'I've been called worse by better people!'

That was until the summer of her sixteenth birthday. When she came back to Pennsylvania in the fall; her entire energy had changed and there was darkness in her aqua colored eyes. She did a good job in hiding whatever it was, most of the family never suspected anything was wrong. On the outside nothing was any different but he knew better. He also knew that he couldn't force her to discuss it. As time went on she still thrived, in school and life in general. However it wasn't until she met and fell in love with Johnny that the darkness in her eyes went away and the brightness was back again. He hoped that one day she would trust him with her secret and a part of him hoped that she never would, knowing that it must have been something horrible that she chose to bury it instead of telling her parents or him about it.

Now today something else other than his patients of the day had begun to bother him. It was a nagging feeling of dread that was constantly in the back of his mind. This was something he had experienced before, what he couldn't recall was when. As he continued walking he remembered what had also bothered him, it was Johnny's eyes there was something reflecting in them that made Joe uncomfortable. Having a sudden epiphany, he began to run back to the house.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Standing in the kitchen Johnny wanted to double over the knot in his stomach was so intense that it had started to create actual physical pain, yet somehow he knew that it wasn't a physiological problem. He couldn't ignore it any longer, he had to tell Roy.

"Johnny! Hey, what's going on? Are you alright?" Roy was alarmed when he walked into the kitchen to see his partner leaning heavily against the stainless steel counter top.

As he reached out for him Johnny stood upright, the pain on his face was obvious. "Roy, it's just getting worse! This just won't go away! I can't remember feeling this bad, when it wasn't Chet's cooking! In fact the last time was when......" His eyes widened with realization.

"Oh GOD Roy! Why didn't I remember! How could I have forgotten?"

"What is it Junior, you're scaring the Hell out of me!" There was rising panic in his voice.

"ROY, the last time I felt this way and couldn't explain it was......the day of the accident....where she and Brice almost died!" He was instantly taken back to the moment where Dixie had told them that his Tehila was wheezing and calling for help over the Bio Phone.

"Are you telling me that their in trouble?" His eyes were begging his best friend to deny it and tell him that his wife wasn't in mortal danger. The fact that he knew he wouldn't hear those words chilled Roy to the bone.

"I don't know what's happening up there but I do know that we have to find them before it's too late!" His deep brown eyes were wild, filled with pain and regret that he hadn't listened to his inner self before now.

The door slid open and Joe came rushing up to the two paramedics. He grabbed the younger paramedic by the arms, looking straight into his troubled eyes. "You feel it too, don't you? She is in danger isn't she?" The normally calm and collected doctor eyes were filled with terror. He knew long ago of A.J's power of intuition and empathy and that on some level Johnny possessed the same gift. Peering into the younger man's face his own fears were realized.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The picture that Alice had innocently taken would prove to be the catalyst that would change their outing into a run for their lives. She had not been looking into the camera, rather holding it above her head to try and get the picture with out disturbing the wildlife. The pictures had jammed in the camera, so neither Wolfie or of Alice were aware that the snap shot contained damning evidence of all four men distributing large amounts of cash between themselves. Each one of them already had extensive criminal records, so identifying them from the photograph was not going to be difficult.

A.J.'s ears hadn't missed the voices in the distance; even though they were only a few hundred feet away the foliage had muffled them considerably. The tone and volume didn't bring up any red flags for her because they sounded like just another group of hikers taking in the amazing scenery. Which is why she was puzzled by the feeling in her gut that told her getting back to the campsite was urgent but not why.

The curious thing about her 'gift' was that it wasn't a guarantee of premonition, sometimes it kicked it and sometimes it didn't. Other times she received guidance to get out of situations, once she was already involved in them. Her Unci (Lakota for Grandmother) would often tell her that the Great Spirit had a reason for all things, even if we as humans did not understand them.

The two women quicken their pace considerably, mainly because they had taken a more leisurely walk then they had intended all afternoon and into the evening. The other woman seemed to notice that Wolfie was less relaxed than she was a short time ago.

"Is there something wrong?" Alice inquired, trying to read her body language.

"No, nothing's wrong....well other than that I am starving! WOW! I had forgotten how much energy and stamina this hike takes! I think I need to get a little more exercise!" Wolfie deplored outright lying but she didn't want to concern her friend needlessly. She ran at least five miles a day, and worked out in some fashion five to six times a week, just to maintain the fitness level to be a rescue paramedic. In reality this trail was more like a stroll, rather than any real challenge.

A.J. was pacing herself in an attempt to not wear Alice out; she looked like she could use a short break but to her credit said nothing. The voice telling her to get back to the others was now more of a demand rather than a request. She could see no danger around her, yet was sensing that they were not alone in the woods; some others besides their friends were with them. Of course it was logical that it was simply the other hikers that she had heard a couple of miles back, then why did she have the sensation of being trailed?

Her intuition was proving to be more apt than she realized. The men who were captured in the unseen photograph were indeed following them with the intent of doing whatever it took to make certain that their plans of freedom and independence were not destroyed.

"So Alice you have been seeing Mike for a few months already haven't you?"

"Yes, it has been four and a half months this week actually." She already trusted A.J. more than most people in her life but did she want to go down this road with her?

"I'm glad that the two of you met each other. Mike is great guy, even if he is a bit of a motor mouth." Wolfie somehow managed to say that with a straight face. Stoker running his mouth was about as likely as Chet not being the Phantom.

With another large grin Alice fired back. "Oh I know! Sometimes it is all I can do to get a word in edge wise!" She was still debating sharing more about herself.

"Alice, if I am overstepping then please tell me, but what is it that you _really_ want to ask me?" She figured she would just come out with it since the indirect method apparently wasn't working.

Alice stopped dead in her tracks just staring at the woman in front of her. "How on earth could you know that?" She was stunned not understanding how A.J. could have guessed that something had been left unsaid this entire time.

"You don't have to worry; we haven't been holding 'What's wrong with Alice?' meetings behind your back or anything like that!" She doubled back two steps to put her hands on the tops of her shoulders.

"It has something to do with how you feel about Mike, right? You're afraid of what you feel for him, that he is somehow easily breaking down your defenses? I'm just going to say, been there, done that, bought the T-Shirt!" She looked directly into the younger woman's eyes. There were tearing up, overwhelmed by the emotions that were brewing inside.

Alice side stepped her friend and began walking a few steps in front of A.J. "I'm not afraid....I'm terrified. He is such a wonderful man; I really have a lot of fun when I am around him. It's just that I have never had a true serious relationship that didn't fail. It's way too early to be thinking about the future, yet when I'm with him it's almost all I can think about!"

"What do you mean been there? You can't be talking about you and Johnny! The two of you are perfect together!"

"My dear, Johnny is the only real relationship that I have_ ever_ been in! No, really it's the truth! Did you know that it took almost exactly a year of him pestering me to go out with him before I actually said yes?" She could still remember every second of that memory in the supply closet.

"An entire year? Wow, I didn't think that any women could resist Gage's charm for that long!" Alice started to continue, only to have A.J. freeze in her spot.

"Shhh!" She motioned with her finger to her lip. A.J. moved to a defensive position in front of Alice. "I need you to stay calm, just let me do the talking."

"What is it? What's happening?" The color of Wolfie's eyes had drastically altered; they were now a light true green.

"Just do to be clear, I want you to stay with me; I mean it you're glued to my side, got it?" Wolfie's eyes and ears were open; trying to locate anything that would help her.

"We're being surrounded."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Standing there along the worn trail the two women didn't have to wait long to catch sight of the danger A.J. had sensed. Two men came onto the trail from the tree line on opposite sides of the trail. If they had merely been hikers out enjoying the beautiful day most likely they would have been on the trail the entire time or at least had been walking in the forest on the same side. The only reason to approach them in then manner was to try and catch them off guard.

Wolfie took note that both men were most likely several years older than her; somewhere in their mid 30's was one of the things that she quickly estimated. They were slightly above average in height and physically fit. In her size up the most important thing that she noticed was that they were carrying side arms. Using all of her six senses, she knew that there were at least two others on opposite sides that had taken a position just behind them. She casually adjusted her stance to better defend Alice and so that she could use her perihelia vision to watch for the others to jump into the potential me lay.

At the moment their motivations were not important. She felt no immediate fear for herself; she couldn't allow herself that luxury. Her major concern was for Alice; through no fault of her own she offered her no help, only hindrance. She was certain that she could either fight them successfully or at least long enough to escape into the trees and to relative safety. However defending her friend in the process was what made the situation more difficult. As the men came out of the tree line A.J. pretended to be startled; Alice played the part involuntarily.

"Oh Hello Ladies! So sorry to scare you! We didn't see you standing there, or we would have announced ourselves!" The taller one of the men started the conversation. His face was relaxed but his body language immediately betrayed him.

"That's alright! Silly me, I thought maybe it was an animal, like a bear or something!" A.J. glanced over at a silenced Alice. "Don't mind her, neither one of us has really been out of the city very often! She thought it was Big Foot!" She forced herself to laugh like some kind of Valley Girl. The less they knew about them the better.

"Is that so? Then I guess you've been keeping to the trails so the two of you don't get lost out here?" The tone in the second man's voice was pleasant, even friendly; however there was still an edge to it that came across loud and clear.

"Absolutely! We wouldn't want our group to have to come looking for us! A whole bunch of us came here together, like you know what they said about strength in numbers!" She wanted to make sure to subtly emphasize the word group, telling them that they weren't alone.

The two individuals were not moving from their hidden positions, as of waiting for some kind of cue from the other two. This told Wolfie that the two standing feet away from them were the dominate ones, perhaps the ones to worry about the most. She was certain they were after something specifically; the million dollar question was what. Alice had snapped out of her stare and had made an effort to look relaxed as if she were enjoying the conversation.

"I see that you have one of those great cameras; the ones that the picture comes right out and develops right away. I think those are so great!" The taller man was now speaking again. They were both analyzing her as much as she was them.

"I know, like aren't they awesome! We haven't taken too many so far, just looking around all the pretty birds and flowers. Between the rest of the group we all have several of them." She hadn't changed her defensive position next to her friend, although she had forced herself to look casual and unaware. Her hope was that they were buying the city girls with little brains routine.

"Well, it's been nice chatting with you fellows but I guess we had better head back before any of them think we've gotten ourselves into some kind of trouble!" Alice finally participated in the conversation. A.J. was pleasantly surprised when she spoke up, trying to politely end the conversation.

"Yes, it was great to meet you too! Maybe we'll run into each other again! I after all it is a small world!" Again the stockier man's voice floated through the air as lighthearted yet contained the veiled threat.

A minor miracle occurred when Alice looked down at her hiking boots to see that both laces were becoming untied. With out pause she looked at A.J. for permission to kneel down and retie them, and then proceeded to do just that. This forced the men to turn away and walk the opposite direction from the two women. While Alice finished what she was doing, A.J. was listening and focusing on sensing the others that had not shown themselves. Once she was satisfied that they were far enough away, she motioned for Alice to follow her.

They took a slower pace for a short distance, not wanting to alert their visitors, then after a time A.J. started to drastically pick up the pace. She could run several miles in a matter of minutes due to her routine physical fitness training but although Alice appeared to be in good shape, A.J. was fairly certain that she couldn't keep up with her at a dead run.

"What the Hell was that all about? There were more of them, right?" Alice hadn't noticed herself but had been aware of A.J. eyes glancing behind them, as if trying to prepare of an attack of some kind.

"I don't know what they wanted. However, I do know it wasn't to ask us for directions! We must get back to the others before those guys beat us to it." Wolfie's voice was deadpan, showing no anxiety of fear.

"You mean their going to come after us?! Why? They know that there are others, a large group, that's what you told them!" Alice was thinking in simplistic terms, not considering that there was something that these men desperately wanted.

"My telling them that only bought us some time. They must think that we have something that they want. I can't imagine what, maybe they think whatever it is, is back at the campsite. That's the only reason that the others in the tree line didn't come out and attack us."

Alice started to shake as she was trying to keep us with her friend, then for a second she stumbled, almost falling flat on her face. Just before she hit the ground A.J.'s strong arms jerked her back upright. She gripped her arms, almost painfully and stared into her fear filled eyes.

"Listen to me Alice. I know that you are afraid, that's only normal. The others don't know about any of this, we have to get to them and then get to the nearest Ranger Station. Until then I need you to stay with me, alright? I can't do this alone." A.J. kept her eyes steadied on Alice.

The younger woman took a moment to study the woman staring at her. In her eyes she saw confidence, urgency and concern for her. Their normal deep aqua had morphed into a much lighter shade of green but what stuck out was the shadow that now lurked deep with in the irises. Alice was terrified for her life but something in those eyes told her to trust them.

"OK, then let's get going! How long do you think we have before they come back?"

"I don't know for sure, right now the direction they are heading is unknown. They most likely don't know where our site is or how many of us there are. That gives us a slight advantage. We'll meet up with everyone else, then get in the cars and get out of here." In this instance 'need to know' meant that Alice only needed to know enough to do exactly what she needed her to do.

Now small talk seemed irrelevant, so the two of them continued their marathon in silence, to their friends hoping they were still waiting for them at the end of the trail, which was less than a mile away. Once they were reunited they could concentrate knowing that everyone was safe at least for the time being.

Some of the many thought that A.J. didn't share with Alice was her realization that she had something in common with the men pursuing them, training. She was absolutely sure that they had at one time been in the military, veterans of Vietnam. Everything from their straight as a board posture to insignias on their forearm tattoos gave it away. However what did make her blood run cold was what she saw in their eyes, nothing. As the saying goes, the eyes are the mirror to the soul and that was exactly what she didn't see in either of their eyes. Instead there was darkness, a void where sparks of humanity should have been.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Why did we let them go? I could have almost reached out and grabbed the shorter one! Then we could have gotten out of here!" It had taken all Derek had not to jump out at the two slender women.

"That is why I am the brains of this whole operation! We have no way of knowing if it was those two women who took the photograph. If we took them out and they didn't have it, the others would have come looking for them. Then we would have to search the whole damn mountain for them! This way it will be like shooting fish in a barrel." Burt was already tired of the two brothers and was already making plans for them, once this situation was taken care of.

"Great plan except we don't even know how many of them there are! Besides their boyfriends or husbands are probably here too! That only means more trouble, plus we don't have a clue, they could be hiking for the day or camping anywhere in this park!" Derek had always made a habit of not messing with Burt but he couldn't grasp how this could possibly end with him not going back to prison and leaving Danny alone with their mother.

"Relax my boy! Burt and I passed by their little campsite on our way to meet you. We got here a little early and checked out the scenery. There are six of them, all real good looking broads." Sid tall and to most would seem very imposing, if not outright scary. He found himself having physical reactions thinking about them.

"Then you know where they are headed?" For once Danny spoke up, he was anxious to get this thing over with. He was willing to do almost anything to protect his brother and himself from ever having to go back to that home again.

"Oh yeah, in fact we're gonna head that way right now. I want them to all meet up again, and then we can take care of them all at once. Can you imagine how frightened their going to be?" Burt was becoming giddy at the very thought.

"What about the one that did all the talkin'? I think that she knew that something wasn't right. You think that she knew what we were up to?" Derek had been more than happy to stare at their attributes.

"Maybe but it doesn't really matter, what are a bunch of chicks going to do to stop us? If nothing else she might be a little bit of a challenge." Burt replied as if it were a matter of fact.

"After we get the photo could I have a little fun before we take care of things?" Sid's words may have been vague but his hands rubbing below his waist made his agenda quite clear.

"What do you mean I? Come on partner, you know it's all been 50/50 with us! There are six of them, right? That means there will be plenty to go around!" Burt's expression was of a kid in a candy store, his sickening smile lit up his entire face.

The men started the trek back towards their destination. The sun was nearly set and the night air was growing colder. Their pace was brisk but not frantic, since their goal was to entrap the women all at one time. The cash was now even distributed in each of their back packs; to anyone passing by they fit the role of ordinary hikers taking in the beauty of nature.

Now the only hope for the women was to reach their vehicles and get out of Dodge before the 'Hunters' could intercept them. Wolfie and Dixie had the training to maneuver their way through the forest and to give the others a crash course in self defense. However with only the two of them having any real experience, the chances of them fighting off four full grown men were not great.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The three men stood in complete silence for what seemed like forever. Their emotions overriding any cognitive thoughts that were needed to decide what to do next. Of all of the surging feelings racking their bodies, helplessness and terror ranked towards the top of the list.

"Oh GOD Roy, what are we going to do? She never really told me where they are even at in the park, it covers over 13,000 acres! The only thing she said was that it was on the north side of it!" Johnny's abdominal pain had subsided considerably since he had finally acknowledged his inner instincts.

"JUNIOR!" Roy grabbed his partner by the shoulders and shook him hard trying to reel him back from a complete state of panic. "Listen to me! I'm just as scared as you are but we have to stay calm and THINK! This is no different than any other rescue that we have had to accomplish!"

Roy watched Johnny's expression closely, holding on to him, desperately trying to reach him. His face was more of a pasty white; normally his skin tone this time of year should have been a deeper shade of bronze, which worried Roy even more. His own fear was barely being held at bay. His only life line at the moment was the training he had received and applied in the Army; his tour in Vietnam had taught him a great deal. For over a year he learned quickly to survive by centering himself, taking all emotion out of his mind to do whatever had to be done.

Watching the two paramedics Joe Early was wrestling with his own inner demons that were shouting in his head that he would lose his beloved niece and Dixie, and then have to watch his close friends lose their loved ones as well. The foreboding he was now dealing with was something that only happened when A.J. was involved. No other time did he ever receive a warning about something horrible occurring in his life. For such a strong message to affect him the situation had to be dire indeed.

One attribute that he and Roy shared was their experience in the army. Although much like A.J. and Dixie they had served in different decades. Although he was certainly older than when he had learned those skills, they were still deeply ingrained in him. He knew that the park itself was only a little more than an hours drive from the house because he had been the one to take her there for the first time, not long after she had moved to California.

"Roy, did Joanne tell you anything about where they were going to stay?" Joe spoke up asking the senior paramedic.

"No, nothing specific, she just said that one of the biggest things they wanted to do was hike the trail of 92 waterfalls." Since it was their only clue, Roy was praying that it was enough to find their loved ones.

Before Joe could finish his thoughts Kel Brackett came wondering into the kitchen completely unaware what had transpired. Walking through the open door way he stopped in his tracks when he took in the scene before him. All of his dear friends were looking as if their worlds had just come to a screeching halt. Then his gaze centered on Roy holding onto Gage as though the man would collapse if he let go of him. He rushed over, wondering why Joe was frozen in place, not helping to attend to the stricken man.

"Johnny! What is it? Are you alright?" Kel knew the later question was redundant, it was obvious that he wasn't OK in the least. He dragged a stool over then helped Roy lower him onto it.

"Fear, I feel her fear." Gage stated with confidence, his eyes were unfocused as if he were in another place entirely. "She's running from something." Since they had been dating he had begun to hone the instincts that had always served him in the fire service. He had moved out of the state of panic and now was steadying his breathing to get himself under control. He concentrated on pulling forth the memory of him holding onto her, encompassing her with the protection of his arms.

"Doc, something is terribly wrong. Johnny and Joe both sensed it. Their in trouble, we have to find them!" Roy was pleading to the doctor to take control, to come up with an idea that none of them had to this point.

"What the Hell are you talking about? Trouble? What kind of trouble?" The volume in Brackett's voice brought the other men running into the kitchen, joining the others.

"I don't know Kel but whatever it is, their lives are going to depend on us finding them." Joe closed his deep blue eyes attempting to clear his thoughts in order for him to do something other than panic.

The other six men stood there their mouths agape. How could their colleagues possibly know what was happening on the other side of the county? They had never understood how Gage had an uncanny ability to locate victims in the most adverse conditions, almost with ease. Could this be the same ability that lead him to believe in what was their worst nightmare come true?

"Has something happened to them? Did someone from the Park Service call here?" Hank hadn't recalled the phone ringing the entire day, besides the look on his friends told him that is beautiful wife was in grave danger.

"Listen, I know that park pretty well. I've been there several times. I took A.J. there before, I think I at least can narrow the search down a little. You said that they wanted to hike the waterfall trail, right Roy? Well then they would only camp a couple of miles away from that, it will give us an area to start in." Joe explained.

Chet, Mike and Hank were taking in the information that was being discussed, information that could return the women in their lives back to them in one piece. Marco, Craig and Dr. Morton weren't dating anyone at present so they didn't have that kind of a connection with any of the campers. That didn't mean that they didn't hold them in their hearts or love them in a different way. They all listened intently, ready to voice any ideas that might come to them.

As Gage's color had begun to improve; he slowly stood up and walked over the phone on the wall and thumb through the phone book looking for the number to the park service. He was hoping against hope that miraculously they would know how to find the women. Once he found it; he speedily dialed the number, anxious to hear a voice at the end of the line. After it rang for a minute or so, he let out a curse in Lakota, hanging up the receiver.

"Their not in anymore tonight! Even if they were, it's nearly impossible to track after sunset!" Johnny was losing any control that he had mustered.

"Alright, now here's what we are going to try first,let's driving up there and stopping at the nearest police station. We'll tell them about the 'situation' and see if they have any other information." Roy was still keeping an eye on his defeated looking partner.

After gathering some supplies together they loaded up their vehicles and headed north. The drive would be haunted by the worse case scenarios of each man, pleading with GOD to spare the loves of their lives. The cavalry was on its' way but would they arrive in time to save the women or simply to recover their bodies?


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The other four women were waiting nervously towards the end of the trail. Dixie and Sandy had been the first to arrive at their prearranged destination, with in a half an hour Joanne and Emily had met up with them. All of them had half expected to find A.J. and Alice sitting around waiting for them, if for no other reason than that Wolfie had hiked this trail before.

"Dixie, where do you think they are?" Joanne inquired staring in the direction that they should have been coming from.

"Well it's not like we have been waiting here for hours. I'll bet that they have three times the amount of photos as any of us do!" Dixie was making the attempt to down play her own concern. The sun was now only casting slivers of light across the horizon; the two of them should have been back long before now.

"Yeah, that's got to be it! A.J. could probably find her down the trail blindfolded! Poor Alice is going to be exhausted trying to keep up with her." Emily laughed; even before she had gotten to know her, Hank had come home marveling at the notion that Wolfie was in better shape than most of his men. She had always parked miles away from the station house, so she could get in her daily run while she was on shift.

Sandy was listening to the others and smiling at the mental image of A.J. calmly sprinting her way towards them with a worn out Alice thrown over her shoulder. It certainly wouldn't have been impossible, considering that she sometimes she did that exact same thing in her line of work.

The ladies didn't have to ponder much longer, Joanne glanced yet again up the trail to catch a glimpse of A.J. in an apparent dead run towards them. Just a few feet behind her was Alice, her face twisted by terror. As their figures became more defined, the rest of the group was also staring at them.

Thankful for a moments rest A.J. stopped just short of plowing into her friends with Alice standing right beside her. Both women were breathing heavily, although Alice did appear to look worse for the wear. The sweat was dripping off of their faces and soaked through their clothing.

"What the Hell happened?" Dixie was the first to speak up. Her heart had started to pound inside her own chest upon looking into the paramedics eyes. She saw her several times a week, nearly every week for over three years at the hospital and on rare occasion in the field. No matter what the situation or rescue she had never been anything but calm and collected, with the attitude of simply doing the job at hand. Now there was a foreign look of panic and fear that shown in her now light green eyes.

"Are you two alright?" At the same moment as Dixie she had also peered into her best friend's eyes, there was a darkening shadow dancing in her normally twinkling eyes. She had seen something like it once before, last Christmas Eve when she told her and Roy a terrible secret.

The others started clambering around them; they all sounded off similar questions all amounting to the same thing, worry about what could possibly be wrong. Their words were barely registering with the two as the focused on catching their breaths, trying to regroup in order to get everyone out of harms way, knowing that all of them were running out of time.

"Alright, everyone stop!" A.J. bellowed above the exclamations. "We need to get back to the camp, now! There isn't time to explain everything, OK. There are four men coming after us...all of us! They think we have something that they want! Before you even ask, neither one of us have any idea what it is. They came up to us on the trail, their intentions were perfectly clear!"

"What do you mean 'after' us?" Sandy voice was shaking; she didn't comprehend the direness of the situation.

"Please, we can talk about this 'after' we get the cars and get out of here. We're not going to pack anything, just hop in and drive until we get to a police or ranger station." Wolfie glanced back at Alice who was physically looking a little better, as she drank from her canteen. However she was still bordering on total panic.

With out waiting for an answer Wolfie swallowed some more of the lukewarm liquid and furiously motioned for the rest of them to start running. She was torn between taking the lead or the rear. There was draw backs either way. If she took point she could spot trouble a head of them but if they came up from behind then the ones trailing behind would be at risk. However, they could come at them from the side of the trail in the tree line. There was no way of knowing which direction they had taken to intercept them. She was the only one of them aware that there were at least two handguns to contend with, which of course meant that hand to hand combat wasn't their only method to deploy.

The woman had quickly decided to not question A.J.'s authority. If she was this worried about whatever had happened miles behind them, then it was truly a matter of life and death. The term trail was deceptive, although it was well worn, there were still plenty of obstacles to maneuver; tree roots, rocks and low level branches were some of them. If one or more of them wasn't careful they could trip and twist an ankle or do something else to slow down their marathon of survival.

Sandy was silently thanking her employees for egging her on to train for the triathlon that was at the end of the year. She had made a bet with them that she would do whatever it took to train for it, promising to finish the entire grueling competition. If she didn't cross the finish line after the last event then she would give them an extra paid week of vacation and wear a clown costume and stand out front advertising for the coffee shop for two whole days. She made a promise to herself that if she made it back alive, she would give them that week of vacation in either case. The clown costume was out of the question, though. When we get out of her, I am going to run into Chet's arms and never let go.

Emily was trying her best to keep up to the others. She was in good physical condition but not to the extent of the others. Being a stay at home mother and homemaker left her little time to work out on a regular basis. So she used the stationary bike when she had the chance but did more to maintain her figure rather than building extreme stamina like some of the others. Instead she chose to focus on seeing the face of her husband, hearing him telling her that he and the kids would see her soon, that everything was going to be alright.

Although she was the oldest woman in the group Dixie was pleasantly surprised at herself for not only keeping up with her counterparts but maintaining stride with A.J. The work she did every shift at Rampart could be not just emotionally draining but physically as well. She ran everyday, sometimes meeting A.J. at a local part for a little friendly competition. It helped her keep her womanly figure, which was a self esteem lift for her. She could still turn the heads of her male coworkers, including a certain tall, dark and handsome Chief of Staff. She could picture the faces of Kel and Joe when they realized that something had happened to them. Knowing what they would go through if anything happened to her or A.J. gave her that extra push to continue on.

Their trek was nearing the end until they were back to their cars and their only real chance to leave the mountain. The trees had thinned out and they were running now more in low lying grasses and shrubbery. The sun was now only a distance memory on the horizon, the sky was now in its twilight stage.

Joanne was picturing her two small children. Their innocent faces, waiting patiently for mommy to come home. What had become of the best times in her life was now the most terrifying. She knew of the psychic connection that A.J. and Johnny had, so her prayer was that once again that their 'radar love' would bring him, Roy and the others to their rescue. She was already near exhaustion from their flight down the mountain side. She conjured up the image of her beloved Roy. They had known each other since they were in elementary school, the one and only relationship for either one of them. Running for her life, she was never so glad that he was a Rescue Paramedic.

The adrenaline was only going to take her so far and her aching muscles were screaming at her to face facts and just give it up, there was no way they were going to get out of this alive. A.J. had tried to hide it from her but she had also seen the eyes of the men that had walked out of the trees. What could they possibly want? What was worth killing for? She had no doubt that is exactly what was going to happen if they caught up with them. Then a vision of Mike's face came into her frenzied mind. His soft lips were telling her not to give up, to fight back, and to come back for him.

Purposefully running in the middle of the pack A.J. kept an eye on all of them, making certain that none of them were getting left behind. She was praying to GOD that she would be able to protect her friends. She had seen the motivation on the faces of their pursuers. They were the same eyes as the men who changed her very essence when she was just sixteen years old. The item in question wasn't the only thing on their minds; she already knew that she was willingly to give her own life before letting anything like that happen to her friends. There was a possibility that the men knew where their encampment was but it was still their best hope. The cars would be transportation to safety and the CB could be used to call out for help.

Johnny and the cavalry were on their way, she could sense his panic and worry. He was just as in tune with her emotions as well. She was aware of what this was doing to him. Ever since the accident that almost claimed not only her life but her partner's as well; Johnny had wrestled his own fears of losing her. His fear of abandonment, being left alone the way his mother had done when she died while he was still very young.

Relief flooded them when they arrived to the campsite. They headed directly for the vehicles more than ready to climb into them and rest their burned out bodies. The cars were parked on the far end away from the tent by several hundred feet. As they moved to open the doors, A.J. got into the driver's seat of the Range Rover and when she found her keys she turned the key, all the while hearing the sound of the other car's engine humming.

As they had began to drive away, A.J. picked up the CB microphone. "Hey, to anyone out there; this is Fire Chick does anyone copy me, over?" After a moment of two she repeated, "This is Fire Chick, if anyone is out there, Mayday, Mayday! We are in need of the police! We are headed West on Indian Path Road. We're being chased by....." Her words were interrupted when she saw a blue and white pick up truck gaining speed, flying up behind them.

The Range Rover was following the smaller sedan. The other vehicle had no idea what was happening, not understanding how close the danger was. There was no time to react when the grill of the pick up slammed into the rear bumper. The force of the hit pushed A.J. into the car a head of her, sending both of them out of control on a windy mountain road.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Emily was driving the compact sedan when out of now where the Range Rover smashed into the passenger corner of the rear bumper making it all but airborne. The smaller car was no match for the size and weight of the larger vehicle. She instantly knew there was no way that A.J. had done it by accident much less on purpose, which only left one other option open. What had started them on this flight had indeed come after them, and it was apparent that they had no qualms about taking human life. She was wrenching the steering wheel back and forth attempting to regain control and not collide into the many deadly objects on either side of the road, that didn't include the steep drop off the cliff to her left.

Her passengers were screaming as their necks whipped around as the car veered side to side as she fought to keep them on the road. Joanne and Sandy were riding with her. They were scrambling to locate and put on their seat belts, in the hopes that if the car did flip or crash that they wouldn't be launched out of a window. Terror filled the interior, none of them had any idea how this could any way but badly.

Emily's mind went back to when she and Hank were first married; he had taught her how to drive. She had always lived in town, so there was public transportation to use. It wasn't until they were married and had their first child that she needed to be able to drive. He had been so patient and had managed to never raise his voice, even when she took out their mail box just backing out of the driveway. He always told her to drive 'defensively'; although she doubted that this was what he had in mind.

As she was tightening her grip on the steering with all her strength A.J.'s hands were getting friction burns due to sawing it sharply to the right then left and back again. Her eyes were glued to the road in front of her willingly the sedan to maintain it's location on the roadway, while at the same time desperately trying to keep the Range Rover on the loose dirt path as well. The pick up behind them had not yet fallen back, instead the driver chose to keep pace with continuously ramming into the Rover every opportunity that he had. Alice and Dixie were with her. They had chosen to take both vehicles because in each was personal information, including the address of its owner. Plus there was the chance that if one vehicle was pursued that the other would be able to go for help, of course now that idea seemed mute.

A.J. had some maneuvers of her own, dating back to when she first moved out to California. After leaving the Army she had kept in contact with one of the Corpsman that she had gotten to know in Vietnam. When she wrote to tell him that she was coming out west, he invited her to stay with him and his wife, Debbie until she found her own place. Scott had landed a sweet gig doing stunt work on different movies. He had taught her a few tricks of the trade, getting her to do some stunt double jobs. This was in between completing the fire academy and her probation period at Station 51. Since then she hadn't really done much work for him, as being a rescue paramedic and having a semblance of a life took up most of her time.

The obvious difference between then and now was of course that there wasn't going to be a director yelling, "Cut, that's a wrap!" This was the real deal. She felt completely out of control, if she were alone it would be a totally different scenario. Now there were five other lives depending on her to get them out of this nightmare. Dixie was her only line of defense; the others had no real way of helping the situation. Now she was forced to think of the immediate threat they were now facing. Her subconscious was calling out for Johnny; she already knew that he and the others were on the way, their connection was strong.

The result of the ramming into the Range Rover had taken its toll on the pickup truck. The grill was severely damaged and there was steam billowing out from under the hood. The roadway was at a sharp incline and their vehicle was also having a difficult time staying under control. The driver, if not his passengers as well had apparently crawled out of the shallow end of the gene pool because instead of regaining control of the pickup he instead chose to once again slam into the other car.

Each of the three vehicles was now dancing in a deadly ballet, all of them as close to the edge of the cliff as the other, no one was safe. The grade of the road way and its terrain was changing slightly. It was no longer quite as steep of a drop off on the left hand side of the still winding path. As if GOD himself was picking the perfect spot for the lethal game of cat and mouse to end, the two fleeing cars suddenly crashed into one another taking each other down the embankment.

As they headed into the unknown, the two cars had their bumpers locked together from the last hit before they started the next leg of their journey. None of the women even took a second thought to whether or not the pick up was still behind them closing in. Right now their main concern was where the slippery slope was going to take them.

Under the hood of the pick up the billows of steam were nearly blocking the view from the windshield. With one last shriek of displeasure the truck came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the country road. The radiator had given its all but with the severity of the damage it cracked under pressure. The occupants stewed in their rage as the cars disappeared from site.

"This is fantastic! Alright fearless leader, what are we going to do now?" Derek hissed at the self appointed leader.

"Just SHUT up! Give me a second!" Burt had just about had it with the whimpering twins next to him. This was not part of the plan, taking care of the evidence was supposed to be the simplest loose end to wrap up. He opened his door and exited the truck.

He walked over to the edge of the cliff where the two cars had vanished. There was plenty of dust kicked up and flying around, squinting he did his best to see through it. As it began to settle down he could verify that the cars were no longer in view. The incline was still steep enough that climbing down was going to be next to impossible.

"Damn!" Danny exclaimed, sure that this glorious plan was falling apart right before his eyes. Looking at the profile of his brother he could see that he was thinking the exact same thing.

Gravity was taking all of them on the ride of their lives. The tires had virtually no traction, rather they were more sliding down, their brakes unable to stop them. Then a rather large tree abruptly ended the escalation. The sedan hit the tree head on, crumpling the front end. The Range Rover rotated so that the driver's side broadsided it. As the dust cleared; there was no movement inside of either car.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The drive into the night was excruciatingly long, each of the men were unsure how they would even find their better halves once they arrived at the park. So the wait until that moment seemed to take an eternity. They would get there hours before day break, which was even more frustrating because initiating a search would be next to impossible until the sun started to rise.

On their way north, Roy was checking his map to locate the nearest police station. This way he hoped they could gain the much needed back up to not only find but protect them. Johnny and Joe would not have had such intense insights if the women were only lost in the woods, there had to be much more to it than that. The three cars kept in constant contact via the Citizens Band Radio. None of them were real familiar with the northern end of Los Angeles County, since it was so far out of their normal jurisdiction. There were few words between the men; instead they stayed lost in their own thoughts.

In the car with Johnny and Roy was Craig Brice; A.J.'s partner. There was a time in the not so distant past that the three men would have not voluntarily worked the same call much less ridden in the same vehicle. Brice wasn't exactly a social butterfly and could drive even men like Roy to want to sock him in the mouth. His professional attitude was very brisk and his personal one wasn't much different, that was until he met his partner of over three years. She had altered his universe forever, not that he was suddenly a completely different person. There was still plenty of times that he drove her crazy with his anal ways but they worked very well together and had even become friends.

He sat in the back seat of Roy's car looking out the window, squinting his eyes peering into the night sky. His outward expression had not fluctuated from his norm, most people would have had no clue that he was silently scared out of his mind. Looking front at Gage he prayed that his intuitions were incorrect, that he was simply being paranoid about nothing. However this wasn't the first time that his 'feelings' had been proven valid. He envied that bond that connected the two of them, not because he was 'in' love with her because that wasn't the case at all. Yes, he loved her but not in a romantic way. It was more than at this moment being able to sense her in a way, shape or form would have given him a little comfort.

Despite Roy's initial protests Johnny was driving his small car. He had caved because he realized that his partner had to focus on something other than his gut or he might crawl out of his own skin. Deep down he know that Johnny would never put their lives in danger, if for no other reason than the fact that getting into an accident wouldn't help the others.

Sitting behind the wheel he was keeping his eyes glued to the road and his hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his hands began to ache. Loosening his grip somewhat he was forcing himself to think of happier times. It was only a few years ago that he would have told just about everyone that he was more than content being a bachelor, dating one pretty girl after another, always trying to prove that all he was after was a good time. He stole a quick glance at Roy and the corners of his mouth turned upwards just slightly, his best friend knew him better than that. The day he met her was something you would find in a fairy tale, only in reverse. He wasn't rescuing her that day, it had been the other way around. Since then his whole life had been made more complete than he could have ever imagined. So now facing the unknown of what was happening on that mountain was pushing him to the brink.

Roy was busing himself with reading a map that he had just about memorized, going over every square mile and landmark on it. So far he had been the level headed one doing whatever it took to keep Johnny focused on the rescue and not the dark omen that he was feeling. His experience was helping to a degree but this was his wife that was also in this mess. This was the first time that any rescue had been this personal for him. It wasn't only Joanne but A.J. and Dixie that he was close to. Of course he felt fear for all of them but his direct connection was with those three women. He did feel some sense of comfort that Dix and A.J. had experience in the outdoors and had survival training under the belts. In the end all that didn't matter because whatever they were facing was beyond what any of them had expected to deal with.

Kelly Brackett sat in the back seat of Mike Morton's car. So many thoughts were running through his mind it was making him dizzy. He was completely out of his expertise, he job was on the other end of the spectrum. On occasion he would go on scene to assist with a rescue with the paramedics but it was rare. The whole reason for starting the program was to have rescue teams trained to handle just about anything, giving emergency care until they reached a hospital.

He was envisioning Dixie in his mind, she meant so much to him. He knew it was sort of an unwritten code between them to never really discuss the future. In times like this he couldn't really justify why, he knew she loved him the same way he loved her. So what was the problem? In any case he could care less what they talked about, as long as there was a second chance to talk about anything at all. One of the reasons he had hired her to begin with was her military background, the skills learned there made a big impact on her ability to help run an extremely busy Emergency Department. Then his thoughts went to A.J. He had the utmost respect for all his paramedics but shared a friendship with only a few of them and she was definitely on that list. In many ways she reminded him of his lady love. The two of them working as a team was the only amount of hope that he held onto.

Mike Morton was more than happy to get behind the drivers seat, it eased the sensation of being totally helpless. He was not usually an excitable kind of man, handling virtually anything with poise but in this case he was more than just a little worried. Scientific fact was his religion of choice, anything that couldn't be explained in black and white was foreign to him, and so believing in Gage's 'feelings' was a little hard for him to swallow. However he had witnessed some things that he couldn't explain either. He was one of them many men who a few years ago would have said that women didn't have the capacity of doing a physical job such as firefighting. In very short order he had been proven wrong, the memories made him smile just a little. Wolfie was not your average woman to say the least and he had come to care for her quite a bit.

Then there was Dixie, the Wonder Woman of nurses. When he was first hired he had rapidly learned to respect her or else. Like many young doctors he had developed the dreaded GOD like complex, not giving the nurses their just do. She had been more than willing to set him straight, making certain that he knew his place. Ever since then his respect for her had developed into a great friendship. Although he knew that his friends weren't helpless, his time in the Marines was telling him that if indeed Gage was right about this whole thing, the group was dire need of their help.

Joe Early sat next to Morton on their drive. He could see by his body language that he was just as afraid for A.J. and Dixie as he was. Acknowledging that there was something wrong and acting on it was at least easing the overwhelming feeling of foreboding that had been haunting him. However how they were going to find them and what condition they would be in once they did was plaguing him. They had stopped off at Rampart and had gathered medical supplies that they prayed they wouldn't need, such as IV solutions, kits, etc. The chance that they would have to use those seemed more like a probability than just a possibility, which only scared him more.

"Do you think that we have brought enough supplies along?" Joe dared whisper out loud what the other doctors had been thinking themselves.

"I pray so Joe, I pray so...." Kel answered back. Unlike many doctors he didn't believe that science held all the answers. There was many a time where modern medicine had condemned one of his patients to die, only for them to recover. Although he couldn't honestly say he prayed on a regular basis, he was certainly saying one loud and proud tonight.

"You two have to think positive! I am sure that we are going to get there and everything will be alright! We'll look like idiots rushing to their rescue!" Morton fought and lost trying to sound as if he believed his own words.

Hank and the rest of station 51 were following the two cars in front of them. Just like the others they sat riding in almost total silence. What else was there to say? The air inside was thick and stagnant with fear and emotional exhaustion.

Marco was contemplating what his friends and colleagues were going to do if the worst of Johnny's premonition came to bear. His best friend sat beside him, his face contorted with terror. He knew what Sandy meant to him, the effect she had on him was miraculous. He had been surprised how quickly he had fallen for her, although upon meeting her for the first time he had immediately understood how it was possible. He was familiar with the entire group but only had a real personal connection with A.J. Even though she had only run with them for a short time during her probationary period, he had become quite found of her. He had been thrilled when her and Johnny became involved, seeing how happy she made his shift mate. The suspense of not knowing anything concrete was killing him.

He turned to Chet to try once more to comfort him. "Hey Pally, listen to me, alright? You know that A.J. can take care of herself and Dixie is no slouch either! Whatever is going on, she'll make sure that Sandy is alright....that they ALL are alright..."

Chet gave Marco a weak smile but said nothing. He knew that he was trying to help and give him some sense of optimism. The images of Sandy that were running through his mind were freaking him out. He kept imaging her bloody or bruised and scared out of her mind. He didn't have the sixth sense that Gage had but could only fathom what else the danger could mean. He fell in love with so fast that it scared him a little, OK a lot. Now just thinking of what he would do if something happened to her was sending him to a bad place.

Hank had heard what Marco had said. He felt so out of control. As their Captain he was the one to nurture their trust in him as a leader and friend but now he was far from confident. He felt completely inept, he was as clueless as to what to do as the rest of them. The possibilities of what was happening to Emily and the others were giving him a pounding headache, to say the least. His trust was in Wolfie, he knew she would do anything to protect her no matter what it took. For a moment he realized what she must go through with every shift he commanded, knowing the danger that he was constantly exposed to, only this time the roles were reversed.

As was his usual shy personality Mike Stoker listened to the others and chose to remain silent. His usual introverted self was now concentrating on Alice, trying to will her to feel him with her, protecting her. He had wished that he would have gotten to talk to Hank longer before this happened. She was the first steady girlfriend that he had had in a long time and he was very much in love with her. He was certain that she felt the same way, only she seemed almost afraid to admit it. He made himself a promise that they would sit down and be honest with each other once and for all when this was all over. Like the rest of his comrades he also had a soft spot for Wolfie and also like the others he had faith that she would do anything in this world to keep them safe.

The police station was just up the road a piece. It was a red brick building in need of some upkeep and there were four police cruisers around back. When they walked in the interior wasn't much better than the exterior. Behind the front desk was a Deputy that looked all but ten years old.

"How can I help you?" He asked while looking up them.

"We need your help......." Johnny took a deep breath and prayed that he would believe him.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Gage was staring at this young man who looked like a younger version of Barney Fife. This Sheriff's office had to be only a fraction of the size of the one just outside of Carson. All of that didn't make any difference at all as long the few officers that were there could help them accomplish their task.

"We need your help." He repeated his request.

"OK, what exactly is the problem?" The man replied. His legs were propped up on the desk. He didn't seem to sense the urgency.

"There are six campers that need to be located in the park." Johnny refrained from using the term 'rescue' just yet, he didn't want to officer to think he was just being paranoid.

"What do you mean located? Is there some reason you need to find them?" 'Barney' hadn't even taken his feet off of the desk and his nonchalance attitude was wearing on Gage.

"We think that something is wrong, they've been missing for two days." Roy knew that was an outright lie but was sure that numb nuts here wasn't going to be interested in hearing about his partner's 'feelings'.

The rest of the ten men were gathered behind their friends looking more like a restless mob than just people concerned about their wives and girlfriends. The lobby wasn't anything close to roomy, so with the sparse furniture the crowd pretty much filled the entire entry space. The young officer had finally relinquished his position behind the desk and had walked up to the counter.

"Do you have any reason to believe that they are in some kind of danger?"

"Yes, because they would never have not contacted any of us. Even if they were going to extend their trip, they would have found a phone and called to let us know, so we wouldn't worry." There was more than a trace of anger in Stanley's voice. This was not going well; this guy didn't seem to be able to comprehend what they were asking him to do.

"So what exactly do you want me to do about it? That is do you even have any idea where they are inside the park? Are they camping at one of the sites?" Kenneth Dander gave the deputies of 'Dukes of Hazard' a bad name. He had only gotten the job because his aunt's husband was the Sheriff.

Gage was just about to unleash the pent up rage of the last two days unto this nimrod, when a voice from the back office bellowed, "Danders, who are you talking to?"

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. These guys are just......" He didn't even have time to finish his statement.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN NOTHING!!!? These women are MISSING! We NEED your help to find them before something terrible happens!" The rest of the group turned to stare at Stoker who had screamed the outburst before any of them had a chance to. They Deputy had no clue how out of character that was for the Engineer.

The hearing the outburst a taller man with silver hair came out from the back office. He was trim and his uniform crisp, making him automatically look more trustworthy than the Deputy standing before them. A second of two behind them was another man who was dressed in a pressed suit jacket and jeans. He was closer to the age of the man he followed in the room.

"Alright, I am Sheriff Walters. What is going on out here?" His voice was stern, not understanding what had been unfolding before he made his presence known.

Gage was about to give the Sheriff a piece of his mind before he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Forgive us for shouting, please. It's just that your Deputy has been anything but helpful. There is a group of six women camping in the park, on the north side of the mountain. We don't know exactly where they are but we have reason to believe that they are in great danger." Joe Early turned on the charm. He wanted to grab and shake them until they got some results but knew that would only get him arrested and be of no help at all.

The man in the suit coat suddenly came alive and moved to the counter top where the Deputy was standing still not grasping the situation. In his hands he carried something, set it down and began to unfold it. It turned out to be a map of the entire park.

"Can you at least give me an estimated area where they might be?" He seemed to simply accept the men's fears as valid.

The men gathered more closely to the peg board hanging on the wall next to the desk, the man had tacked it up there so the others could more easily see. His attitude was completely different from the Deputy. He was taking the situation in stride as if he was aware of something that they didn't know.

"The only thing we know is that they were going to try and hike the trail of waterfalls. That must mean they would have camped with in a few miles of that area." When Joe had been the park before it was only to hike the trail for the day, not to camp overnight, so he wasn't sure exactly where the best spot would be.

The Sheriff exchanged glances with the man standing beside of him. There was several seconds of silence before the Walters spoke. "Steve, are you certain about the location? Is it possible that they went somewhere else?"

"Yeah Bobby, my men said that's the direction they were headed. Plus the informant in the prison verified it was near the water falls."

"OK, would one of you PLEASE tell us what they HELL is going on?" Although Kel was usually quite diplomatic, his patience was wearing thin, they were wasting precious time.

"Sorry, this is Special Agent Deevers of the FBI. He and his men have been tracking down a group of four men who were believed to be traveling to this area." Walters stopped not knowing how much to tell the men before him.

"What kind of group? Why are you investigating them?" Craig knew there was a lot more than they were telling them.

"Several years ago these four men robbed a bank 30 miles north of here. They split up and the money was hidden somewhere. We arrested one of them and he served their time. We figured that once they got out, one or more of them would go for the money. We can't retry him but we could convict the others if we can find them." Deevers was contemplating the same problem, what and how much to tell everyone.

"What aren't you telling us?" Marco asked while keeping an eye on Chet, who was looking worse off by the minute.

Walters drew in a deep breath before continuing, "The agents were able to follow them to an access road on the north side before having to back off, and so they wouldn't be spotted. A cellmate of the man that was served time confessed that he told him he hid the money near a towering waterfall."

The room became so quiet they could have heard a pin drop. That could only mean one thing, the women they loved more than life itself sitting on a powder keg of disaster. Apparently these criminals were in the exact same area that the group had planned on hiking.

"Then what are we standing around for? We need to come up with a plan of attack here, organize a search party!" Morton slammed his fist on the counter causing everyone to jump.

"We can get to the Ranger's Station. They will have maps and supplies there. The Rangers are going to know the area and could tell us what areas they most likely went to!" Brice interjected.

"NO WAY! Look these men are to be considered armed and dangerous! I won't have civilians wondering around the forest. You won't be any help to anyone if you get yourselves killed!" Walters felt for the men but wasn't about to be anyone's babysitter.

"Listen to me real closely. We are not going to debate this! These women are our family and we are not just stand around and do nothing! Now you can fill us in and work with us or we will do what we have to on our own. So what's it going to be?" Roy gave them his ultimatum making it perfectly clear to the men standing before him.

Johnny had been usually quiet the last several minutes. The knot in his stomach was back at full strength, he felt like doubling over once again. There was more to the story and neither man wanted to explain anything further. His Tehila loved life but her belief in the after life didn't make her fear death either. He knew that she would feel responsible for the others, so that explain part of her fear, but there was something else that terrified her maybe even more so.

"What else aren't you telling us? Robbery wasn't their only crime was it?" Gage struggled past his own physical pain to ask the two men what he already knew the answer to.

"Uh, well no they have a long rap sheet. The older two were convicted for another crime spree before." Deevers responded not being able to meet Johnny's stare.

"What else? Tell us what their other crimes were?" Roy subtly moved in position behind his partner for he was reading between the lines of the agent's unwillingness to answer the question.

"They were served time for kidnapping, assault.......and rape." Walters braced himself for the reaction that was to come.

The universal gasp heard throughout the room was palpable. Each man's mind filtered the information that was just unveiled to them. It was followed by more panic; the situation was getting worse and more devastating by the moment.

Johnny's already paler than normal complexion turned paper in an instant. The rushing of yet another surge of adrenaline filled his ears. His legs involuntarily gave way and collapsed from underneath him. He vaguely felt the arms of his best friend circle around his waist, bearing the brunt of his weight, dragging him to a chair.

In seconds the others were gathering around him their eyes belaying their worry. Roy knelt next to him as he eased him down unto the chair. With out looking directly at him Johnny managed to speak in his ear with a barely audible whisper. "OH GOD ROY, it can't happen again! It just can't, it would kill her...."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

As the sun dipped below the horizon clouds had begun to float in, covering a large part of the night sky. On the mountain side there were no street lights to break through the darkness, the only brilliant light source was the full moon that hid off and on behind the thick clouds.

The four men stood in a row attempting to peer into the black night to see if they could spot the other vehicles or at least their direction of travel. The moon was at present enveloped by a large cloud, making it nearly impossible for them to see anything more than a few feet in front of them.

"So what do we do now?" Danny was whimpering again. The visual of his mother slamming him in the head with a iron skillet made him physical shiver. He only hoped that to the others it appeared to be from the chilly night air.

"Danny....calm down! We aren't gonna get anywhere if we don't stop and think!" Derek chided his brother. His brother was about to go off on yet another tangent, which right now they couldn't afford.

"Well, they couldn't have gotten too far. The cars were banged up already and that is a steep slope to slide down out of control." Sid spoke calmly really only acknowledging his partner. He was eager to get this over with, in order to get be able to get rid of the irritating brothers.

"Yeah my friend, you're right about that! With any luck they'll be scattered around in pieces when we find 'um!" Burt's eyes lit up with glee. He was picturing them mangled in the wreckage. Although it would be a real shame if they all died at once, that we mean no fun time for him and his partner.

"Then what is the plan? We can't climb down from here, it's too steep to try in the day light much less in pitch blackness!" Derek brought himself up to Burt, invading his personal space. This whole thing could have been avoided if he and Sid hadn't left him out to dry, letting him serve all the time for a crime that they helped commit.

"Where's that map of the park? There has to be another way to down there." Sid motioned Danny with a shove to retrieve it from the pick up truck.

With an angry glare Danny walked over, opened the door, got in and leaned behind the front seat to feel around for the map. They had left Derek's car closer to the hiding spot. Well, in reality it wasn't Derek's since he stole it for the trip up here in the middle of nowhere. He hated the other two men that his brother had gotten involved with, they treated him like crap. They thought he was retarded..stupid but he had their numbers. He knew that if they had their way him and Danny wouldn't get any of the money, which meant he had deadly plans for them as well. Derek was the only person in this world who had ever tried to protect him from the drunken mother. If Burt or Sid thought they were going to cheat them out of the money or try to hurt his brother, they were underestimating him.

He walked back to the others with the crumpled map in his hands and handed it off to Sid who didn't even bother to thank him or really even look his direction. Then they gathered around while their only resource was opened up and smoothed out.

"Alright, here we can go a north up the road again, there appears to be another access road that leads down the mountain. It runs parallel to this one, which means we should easily come across them, if their not already dead." Sid could care less if they were dead already, if not they were going to end up that way.

There was nothing left to decide, at least not yet, so they men began their trek into the darkness. Since they were still on the main road they had a clear path to follow as long as they kept towards the center of it, to make sure they weren't close enough to fall over the edge of the embankment. Their only source of artificial light came from a small flashlight that Burt carried in his callused hands.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The sun had finished its task and had nestled itself from view. Silence filled the night air except for the sounds of crickets and the occasional owl serenading the other forest creatures. The cars had crashed quite a distance from where they had left the roadway, shredding undergrowth and small trees before coming to a stop.

The darkness enveloped the cars and everyone inside, providing the essential cover they needed to avoid detection, if only for a short while. Mother Nature was providing limited camouflage, allowing for a small window of escape. Both vehicles were disabled, taking away their means of escaping the mountain.

A.J. was the first one to awaken from behind the steering wheel of the Range Rover. Her chest was tight and at first it was impossible to breathe but the sensation only lasted for a minute or so. Once her mind began to clear in a flash she remembered where she was and the urgency for her to start moving around. She lifted her body from its resting position on top of the steering wheel, groaning she began to quickly assess her condition.

Looking for the silver lining to the dire situation she muttered out loud, "Well at least this time, nothing seems to be broken. What is with me and ravines?" Upon further inspection she couldn't find any life threatening injuries, although the simple burns she acquired at the last call before coming out here were making themselves known. She gingerly turned her body to check on the other two in the car, then noticed the blisters on her hands from the death grip she had had on the steering wheel, they had begun to ooze small patches of blood. She wiped them on her pant legs before starting her assessments on Dixie and Alice who were still unconscious.

Dixie was sitting next her and lying on the seat, her head was almost in her lap. She had the presence of mind to take off her seat belt and lay down, curling towards the driver's side, when she had seen where the Rover was going to impact the sedan. As A.J. examined her, she felt no broken bones or any other critical injuries. Her main concern was the gash on her upper right arm; it was cut up by the shattering glass from the side door. When A.J. started to palpate her head and face region, she was rewarded with a groan and Dixie's eyes snapping open.

"Relax Dix, I got you, you're alright." Wolfie said softly.

"What about everyone else?" Dixie mind had already focused on triaging their friends, something she was quite familiar with doing.

"I don't know yet, you're the first one to wake up besides me." A.J. was comforted by Dixie's alertness. She was going to need her help now more than ever.

"I'll check on Alice; you go to the others." Dixie's request made sense since she couldn't get out of her side of the Rover and A.J. had found that her door still opened.

The door had opened easier than she had expected. Climbing out her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness scanning with both her sight and other five senses to see if there was an immediate attack to be prepared for. Sensing a temporary reprieve she started off for the other vehicle. It had not been nearly as fortunate when it plowed into the large tree. The hood was crumpled like a xylophone back towards the windshield, which was covered in spidery circles. The engine had for the most part had taken the brunt of energy and the frame had remained solidly intact.

Once she reached to driver's side she could see Emily and Joanne stirring inside, in the back seat Sandy wasn't moving. Since the others were moaning, they were obviously had a pulse and were breathing, so instead she yanked open the back door and checked her out first.

"Hey are you two alright? Are you bleeding anywhere? Is anything broken?" She fired off the questions in an attempt to keep them busy checking themselves, while she examined Sandy.

From what she could gather it appeared that she had been thrown front from her hips, since back seat belts were only equipped with lap belts. That was a feature that first responders have been complaining about for decades, the forward thrust with no upper body restraint often caused worse injuries than they were worth.

Emily sat back and instantly noticed that her head was pounding, it had slammed into the steering wheel upon impact. The seat belt had done its job, the shoulder strap locking into place. However the front of the car had come back towards her at the same time. Other than the headache she stretched out and didn't feel any distinct pain of any kind. The fear once again set in when she realized that there was no way of knowing how close their pursuers were.

"I'm OK, going to be really sore later but nothing is broken. Joanne, what about you? Are you alright?" Emily blinked her eyes rapidly then looked to her right and saw the blood already crusting on Jo's face.

Joanne was still attempting to clear the fog from her mind. She was trying to focus on Emily's face but only succeeded in making herself nauseous. Raising her hands to her face, she could feel something warm sticking on the side of her face; she was alert enough to realize that it was blood. She fought panic knowing that she was bleeding heavily, until she remembered what Roy had said countless times, that head wounds, even ones that weren't that serious bled like stuck pig's no matter what.

"Yeah, for the most part....nothing's broken." She answered with relief in her voice. Just as Emily had done, she moved around and everything had reasonably worked, sure she was feeling pain but it wasn't anything that she couldn't handle, after all she had given birth twice and this didn't even come close to that. I have to find something to wipe up some of this blood. I can walk or do whatever...." She was certain that they couldn't stay where they were; the bad guys weren't going to stop looking for them.

A.J. had done a quick assessment of Sandy; she had no apparent external injuries but was slow to regain consciousness which didn't make her too happy. She was debating what she was going to do with her when she heard a small whisper escape her friend's lips.

"Oh my head! Where are we?" There was a large bruise forming on the right corner of her forehead and she was mumbling almost slurring her voice.

"Take it easy...Sandy can you hear me?" A.J. spoke directly at her, waiting anxiously for her response.

"I hear you....what about everyone else. Are they alright?"

"Everyone is fine; do you think you can sit up?" She wasn't sure about Alice yet but wasn't going to pass that information on to her.

Sandy sat up with her entire body lodging a protest. Her stomach hurt a little where the seat belt had restrained her. "Yeah, I think I'm alright. We gotta get out of here!"

"I'm working on it! Look could one you try and see if you can get the first aid kits out of the trunk, if it will open at all." A.J. had a kit in her back pack but knew they were going to need all of the supplies they could get their hands on. Scrambling out of the sedan they began to see if there was another way to get into the trunk other than from the rear.

She had to wipe the blood seeping from the palms of her slender hands once again; they were now looking more like raw hamburger. They hurt like Hell but it was helping her to focus on the situation at hand. She was elated when before she could ask anything she could spot Alice standing beside Dixie.

"She's alright, great minds think a like! She threw herself to the other side of the Rover. She got a few bruises and cuts, other than that she's just shaken up a bit." Dix felt sorry for her; she really had a rough time dealing with everything up until and including now.

Alice managed a lopsided grin that she flashed at A.J. "I am OK, really. We have to keep moving. Where are we going to go? We'll never make it off this mountain with out transportation." Her concerned was mirrored by all of the friends.

The three women came up and joined the others beside the now mangled Rover. In their hands were the first aid kit and two flashlights. The six were all mobile which was yet another miracle in their favor. Dixie had also pulled out the similar supplies from the back compartment of the Range Rover. She was armed with everything including a crumpled half torn map of the park; at least they would have idea where they were going.

With out wasting any more time, the friends started to hike off into the night, too much time had already pasted, and precious time was ticking away.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Roy hadn't taken his eyes or arms off of Johnny since he heard the agent utter the words that froze his heart. How could this be happening? The images that played in his mind were horrifying. Joanne, his wife was somewhere out there with men who would apparently have no issue with doing unimaginable things to her, things he knew A.J. had endured before. Although he could never understand what she went through, he did see first hand what it did to her over a decade later when she had to recall the incident. He wanted to fly out the door and run like a mad man towards the park and just rip down every tree if need be to find them, ultimately he knew that would do absolutely nothing to help them.

As Johnny whispered those words Roy knew he was right, he didn't know how any of the women could cope with something so violent and degrading being forced upon them. However his good friend had barely lived through it the first time, if she was assaulted in that way again, he didn't know how she could ever recover. He closed his eyes, willing himself to put aside his own fear and do whatever had to be done to end this nightmare.

The others rushed over to Johnny's side; the three doctors up in front, trying to do a quick assessment of his condition. He was pale as paper and his eyes were not focused on anything in the room. He was running his fingers through his hair, as if it could provide a miracle and the women would appear before him safe and sound.

"Johnny? Can you hear me? Johnny......" Joe Early place both of his hands on Johnny's gently forcing him to stop rocking back and forth. He knew it wouldn't accomplish anything more than giving him something to focus on rather than process what he had just heard. He had arrived at Gage's side just in time to hear him mutter something about 'it can't happen again' and he realized he was referring to his niece. For the second time in less than 24 hours he had an epiphany; the dark secret that had changed her so many years ago, now it all made sense. That understanding only made his blood run colder.

Kel took two fingers and positioned them on the side of Gage's neck, feeling for his pulse. He was waiting for him to answer Joe's question. The look on Roy's now silent face worried him as well; he was staring into the same abyss as his partner. The mental pictures of Dixie being man handled by these thugs was driving him to a dark place where killing each and every one of them was the only option that ran through his mind.

Morton watched his friends trying to comfort the paramedic in front of him. The emotions he had been experiencing during this night were exhausting. Normally he could remain level headed in any situation but now he was faced with losing people he considered to be family, A.J. and Dixie. Only now he knew that they could be facing things that in some ways would be worse than death.

Part of Gage was hearing what the doctors were asking of him, only he was unable to respond to them. He was terrified for all of the women in his life but his conscious mind was obsessing over what was happening out there in the darkness to her. His saving grace was that he was absolutely certain that nothing had happened so far, fear was still the overriding emotion he was sensing from his fiancée.

Then he felt guilty because he wasn't the only suffering during through nightmare. He was finally able to turn his head and look his best friend in the eyes, what he was feeling was echoed in Roy's blue eyes. Then he sat straight up in the chair and collected himself. If he couldn't get it together he was going to be of no use to any of them.

The firemen stood like statues in the small waiting area, they were all in over load, emotionally and physically. Their bodies surging with adrenaline, the fight or flight impulse was definitely set on fight. Although not all of them had significant others on that mountain side; they all had loved ones there. Marco and Brice had A.J. to worry over; she was as much part of their extended family as any other firemen they served with. Their eyes were staring in the direction of Gage, knowing that his reactions were not typical of the seasoned professional.

"Mike, look at me. Can you hear me?" Stanley had shifted his gaze towards his Engineer. His expression was a mixture of rage, pain and helplessness. If there had been any doubt before, there was none now; he loved Alice with everything he had that much was obvious. His experience as their commanding officer was the only thing that he was clinging to at this point. Hank going to pound out the lights of both law enforcement men, if they thought for one second that they were going to stop him from going out there to save Emily.

Stoker could only meet his Captain's eye but not answer his question. His world was spinning around so fast it was making him nauseous. It seemed impossible that the day had started out with watching a great game and opening up to Stanley about his love life and now there was a real chance that he would never see Alice alive again. He may have missed the last opportunity to tell her how he really felt.

"Hey come on Mikey you can't give up on them now. I know this is not looking good but don't forget that A.J. is out there with them. Do you really think that she is going to allow anyone to hurt Alice or any of the others? Please I almost feel sorry for these S.O.B.S., they haven't got a clue that they are messing with the wrong person!" Marco fought to maintain his usual positive attitude, if only in his tone of his voice. He desperately wanted to believe what he was expressing to his amigo. Wolfie would give up her own life to save any of her friends but even if it came to that, would it be enough to save them all?

Chet felt a hand rest on his shoulder and he was shocked to see that it was the Craig Brice reaching out to comfort him. It was many a time that Brice and his perfectionist attitude was the butt of several different jokes. The man rarely cracked a smile much less made small talk.

"Kelly, I know my partner, there is nothing that she can't do. I have witnessed that more times than I can count. Then there's Miss McCall, she can more than take care of herself. After all she's been beating the male hospital staff off with a stick for years!" A small, quiet chucked emanated from the paramedics lips. He knew that his friend could be described as anything except a helpless female. If determination was the only weapon that she needed this would be a no brainier, the fact that it wasn't is what had him frightened. No man left behind was a motto of the fire service and this was going to be no exception to that rule.

"Thanks Brice! I know that too, it's just so hard...I mean Sandy is in great shape but she doesn't have survival skills, at least not for the great outdoors! Now if they were lost and running for their lives in the city...." Kelly was amazed at the paramedic's kind words, it made him realize once again that he was so much more than the stoic personality that he allowed people to see and that he cared a great deal for his partner. The worse case scenario of what could be happening was burning itself in his imagination. Even before tonight he had been toying with the idea that he had finally met the one woman he was looking for.

The men gathered themselves and began morphing into the well oiled machine that they were every shift they worked together. Each one had shoved their personal feelings and fear aside, instead chose to stay in the moment and do what they did best find their loved ones and get them out of danger.

"Alright gentlemen this is how this is going to happen. I am sure that all of you can appreciate how dangerous this situation is. There is a large area to search, we have no idea if there are going to be any injuries or how severe they might be. Then to top it all off we are dealing with men that are armed and dangerous. This is no place for untrained civilians......" Agent Deevers was stopped in mid sentence.

"Wait a second! You heard what Roy said! There is no way that we are going to just stand here twiddling our thumbs doing nothing!" Johnny had fully snapped out of his temporary vegetative state and had rose out of his chair, daring someone to stop him from going after his Tehila.

"LET me finish!" Deevers held up hand to quiet the men down so he could continue. "That would be under ideal circumstances. This is anything but a normal situation, so the Sheriff is going to deputize you. That means you have the same legal authority as they do. There is one thing, if you are coming along, then you have to listen to what we tell you. There aren't going to be any solo heroes out there, deal?" He knew that the men before would only go out on there own anyway, besides he really needed the man power.

Maps and flashlights were handed out to each of them. The plan was to drive out the nearest Ranger Station to the area they needed to search. The men had been more than happy to agree to the stipulations given to them, at least now they would be doing something productive.

Since the sun still had a few hours until it would wake up the morning, the Sheriff convinced them to walk to the 24 hour dinner and fuel up their energy reserves. Searching would be almost impossible until day break but at least they could gather additional supplies at the Station and be ready to set out at first light.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Running through the forest with only the intermittent light of the moon to guide them wasn't an easy task. The path they were forced to take wasn't worn down like the trails that hikers would use. Everything from tree roots, whipping branches and rocks were in their way and would leave some cuts and bruises on each of them as they continued their marathon for their lives.

It was made even more difficult simply because Dixie and A.J. were the only ones who had any kind of similar experience to what was happening to them right now. Both of them had learned and unfortunately had practice in evading the enemy. Although neither of them of course had technically been in combat situations, they did have to learn how to quickly move the make shift hospitals they worked in if the front line shifted forcing them to retreat to a 'safer' zone.

Medically speaking the group was more than a little battered and bruised. Since none of the injuries originally had presented as life threatening, treatment had been postponed in order to gain further distance away from the bigger threat. At the moment the adrenaline that they had been relying on for several hours was their only ally, allowing them to continue at such a frantic pace while ignoring the pain of their varying conditions.

The dark night sky at the horizon was ever so slowly beginning to show signs of the nearing sunrise, not enough to provide any kind of light to aid in their flight. At the present time darkness was at least cloaking them from view, making it that much harder for their pursuers to locate them. When the sun soon began to lighten up the sky above them they would truly know if they were making any real progress towards freedom and safety. For all they knew they could be running towards danger or parallel with it.

Now they were into the densest part of the forest, the trees were standing with only a few feet between them, their leaves and branches overlapping each other causing the already limited view to become nearly nonexistent. Then A.J. stopped so suddenly that it caused a domino effect with the women nearly tripping over themselves.

"Why are we stopping? We have no idea where they are, they could be right behind us!" Alice wished she could look into her leader's eyes.

The other women were thinking the exact same thing; so far they had relied on A.J. and Dixie to be their security blankets. Now like Alice they couldn't fathom why they were stopping now. Their bodies were more then grateful for even a moment's rest but their minds were still buzzing with fear and anxiety.

"Come closer to me. I don't want to raise my voice." A.J. whispered loudly, for she was certain that at the moment they were safe, her senses weren't detecting any immediate danger.

The others gathered around with Dixie making her way to her side, their eyes squinting trying to see the person who was talking. At the same time they were attempting to drown out the sounds of the forest creatures to hear anyone approaching them.

"Alright, now without our cars there is almost no chance of us making it off this mountain. I'm not trying to be negative but the best we could hope for is to maybe find somewhere to hide until help arrives. However shortly we won't even have the cover of night to protect us. The Calvary is on the way but it is going to take time for them to track us."

"What are you thinking A.J.?" Dixie asked even though she had a feeling that she knew what she was getting at.

"Well, there is another option....we fight back...." A.J. paused waiting for the questions that she knew would come.

"What are you talking about! We can't fight them! Maybe the two of you would stand a chance in Hell but the rest of us wouldn't have a prayer!" Sandy's voice was edged with hysteria.

"She's right! What help could we possibly be! I mean there are four of them! Yes, we out number them but they might have weapons!" Emily's tone of voice echoed Sandy's. Although A.J. couldn't yet see her face she was staring at her as if she were questioning her sanity.

"HEY! I know it sounds a little crazy! Do any of you have a better idea?" It wasn't usually in Dixie's nature to be so blunt or lose her cool but right now hysterics weren't going to solve anything and she and A.J. couldn't accomplish this by themselves.

"Dixie's right....we need to hear her out." Joanne was standing there listening to her friends give A.J. the third degree. She trusted her best friend with her life, physically and emotionally, however she in this moment in time couldn't believe what she was hearing. What would possess her to think up this plan?

"There is no question, at least two of them have hunting knives and handguns." A.J. cringed knowing that wasn't what they wanted to hear. "I know that all of you are scared out of your senses, if you weren't I would be worried about you. I don't mean that we fight them in hand to hand combat. We are going to set up some diversions....some traps for them." She paused once more giving them a few seconds to drink in what she was telling them. She was purposefully using the phrase 'we going to be' since there really was no other way.

"In other words...it's time that the hunters become the hunted..."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

As A.J. finished her declaration the others took in the ramifications of the idea laid before them. They still couldn't comprehend how they were supposed to be able to accomplish what she wanted them to do. What could they do that would be of any use?

Dixie was the only one who agreed with her 100%, there was no other option. More than likely wandering almost aimlessly in the forest would only serve to have them run into the 'Deliverance' rejects. At least by doing this, they would regain the upper hand by having the element of surprise on their side. From what she observed so far, these men didn't perceive them as a threat, which means that they were already making a huge mistake in underestimating them. These men had no intention of leaving with out whatever it is they wanted or while any of them were alive.

The sun's rays had started to chase away the night sky's shadows. A.J. and Dixie took the opportunity to further investigate the welfare of each of their friends. After the initial crash they had only taken enough time to see that none of the injuries were life threatening and opted to delay any kind of treatment until they gained some more distance from their attackers. The gash on Dixie's arm was the only wound that Wolfie had taken a moment to hastily bandage.

Assessing each of their friends they were relieved that none of their conditions seemed to have worsen. In the back of their minds both of them noted that if there were any internal or head injuries any symptoms might not rear their ugly heads until much later. Right now their adrenaline had overtaken all of their body systems allowing them to fight for their very survival.

A.J. then tended to Joanne's facial laceration, tenderly cleaning the wound with an antiseptic wipe and then expertly placing a few butterfly bandages to secure the skin together. This would help prevent infection while lessening the chances of an ugly scar forming.

"OUCH!" Joanne muttered under her breath. Glancing up at Wolfie she asked, "Do you really think we can stop them before they stop us?"

"Sorry, I was trying to be gentle!" A.J. smiled, looking into her eyes. "You whine any more and I'll start calling you Johnny!" As Jo smiled reflexively she added, "The answer is yes, I know that we can. Look at it this way... then when the Calvary gets here we can show them that us Chickees are far from helpless!"

Knowing that her friend was trying to ease her fears she returned a lopsided grin. "Do you think that when we have them all tied up we can take pictures and frame them?" She had a mental image of her standing on top of the bad guys as Roy walked up to them staring in awe, which made her grin grow wider.

"Of course my dear! We can make copies and then these idiots can have something to look at when they go to prison!" Wolfie was almost certain that things were not going to be that simplistic.

As the others were taking a much needed break Dixie tended to Alice cleaning her wound and applying a bandage to the area. She the terror in her friend was apparent by the almost glazed look in her eyes. "You know that all of our guys are on their way, right? I mean do you really believe that Mike is going to just stand by and do nothing to rescue his girl?"

"I know that he cares about me..."

"Cares about you? Oh my dear, are you really that blind? That man is in love with you! I can't imagine that you don't see the way that he looks at you. Mike is a man that says more with his eyes than he ever does with words." Dixie lowered herself to meet Alice's eyes. "You need to start trusting yourself and us. We need to work as a team and we WILL get through this."

"I'm not as brave as you and A.J. I'm afraid; afraid that I won't be able to help or that I'll make things worse!" She hated that she was so weak, so scared.

"Let me share a something with you. Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's doing what needs done in spite of it. You are not weak! You are so much stronger than what you give yourself credit for!"

Alice stared at the woman kneeling before her and she found herself doing something that was out of character for her. For the second time in less than twenty four hours she found that she was believing in and trusting what she was telling her. She wasn't going to be the one to slow everyone else down, she was going to survive this and then she was going to tell Mike everything.

"Are we really going to be able to do this?" Emily asked Sandy while they both looked on watching their friends as they received medical care.

"Yes, I think we can.....besides A.J. is right what other choice do we have? These guys whoever they are want us dead. If we don't try and take control of the situation we might as well just lay down and die right now." Strangely enough since this new plan had been explained, she felt as if she had some kind of control back.

"I guess your right...it's just that I'm just a run of the mill house wife and mom. I'm not like them. I don't know martial art or self defense. I wasn't in the Army. How are we going to know what to do?" She was trying to explain to Sandy that her doubt was about her own skills and not that she didn't trust her friends.

"Their not going to let us down. They'll walk us through how to set up these traps and deal with these jerks. We just have to believe that everything is going to be fine, soon enough we'll be back snuggling in our hunky men's arms!" She plastered a smile on her lips, like Emily she was having a hard time believe that everything was going to be OK. However giving up wasn't an option either. She loved her family and nothing was going to stop her from seeing them again.

Having bandaged up their friends Dixie and A.J. took turns fixing up the other. Blood had soaked through the gauze pad on her right arm and blood was now creeping down her arm. So Wolfie ripped open another pad with her teeth and then placed it over top of the the bloody one. Dixie held onto it while the paramedic spun loose gauze around her arm, securing it in place.

"Dix., do you think they can do it? I mean you and I both know that we are can't do this on our own." Wolfie was purposefully lowering her voice not wanting the others to hear her concerns.

"I pray so, because it's the only chance that we have. How far away are they?" Dixie asked in reference to the location of their significant others.

"They are on the mountain but no where near us right now. They are going to find us but if we don't do this.....I fear it will become a 'recovery mission'." A.J. was thankful that she had her a fellow solider to confide in.

Changing the subject Dixie dug through the first aid kits and began to tend to A.J.'s hands, which now looked more like raw hamburger. The palms of her hands were covered in blisters which had opened and were oozing crimson red. Dixie knew that it had to hurt but also knew that her friend would never drop her guard and let the others know about it.

Wolfie flexed her hands after Dixie was finished making certain that she had reasonable range of motion in them. She knew that there was so much work to be done before this was all over.

"All right, breaks over. Now this is what we are going to do...."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The group set about gathering the supplies that were needed to accomplish their mission. A.J. and Dixie had given each of them a list of things to find and bring back to them. Meanwhile they put their heads together to devise a strategy and map of where they would place the traps and how they were going to get the bad guys there. The later part of the plan is what would surely be the most dangerous.

"Alright Dix, now you and I can't both go off and lead these SOBS back here. One of us is going to have to stay with them to organize things and keep them calm. Right now they are doing great with everything but once it hits the fan I'm afraid they'll panic. It's not that I blame them, it's just that we can't afford it." A.J. knew that she could be frank with her fellow nurse.

"You're right of course; all of them are on the edge. I think that Joanne and Sandy will be able to keep it together but Em and Alice.....I just don't know, if they could literally jump out of their own skin I think they would have by now." Dixie was silent for a few moments as she continued to sketch out their battle plans.

"As much as I don't care to admit it....you're younger than me, so you should be the one to go out and lure them back here." She flashed one of her trademark smiles and added, "So don't screw it up by twisting your ankle like some 'B rated' movie star in a horror flick!"

Without using words Dixie had communicated the true meaning to her latter comment. A.J. knew exactly what she was getting at, if they caught her it wouldn't end well. What she hadn't told any one of them what she had read in the eyes of the two she had seen face to face. Their eyes had shone with the same hatred that she had encountered years before, as well as what they had wanted to do to her and Alice when they had seen them on the trail. She would give up her own life before allowing them to lay their filthy hands on her or her friends.

"Hey guys, everyone is back. Is this everything we need?" Joanne had some how involuntarily become the spokeswoman for the group.

Dixie and A.J. stood up from their crouching positions to inventory the items in the piles before the women who had searched the forest for everything. Amazingly they had managed to even improvise on their own. Some of the things that they had requested couldn't be found, so they took it upon themselves to find something else that would work instead.

"Well I have to say that I am impressed. You guys found everything so quickly, excellent work!" Dixie praised their efforts.

"That goes the same for me as well. Yes, I think that everything is here. Alright now Dixie is going to go over what we are going to do with all of these things. She's in charge. She knows what needs to be done, so listen to whatever she tells you to do." She was already thinking of Dix as her Lieutenant.

With more than a little panic creeping into her voice Alice was the first one to vocalize with the others were thinking. "Where are you going?"

"We don't have the option of hoping that they just happen to come across our little version of a mine field and we can't exactly booby trap the entire mountainside either. So I will help start getting everything all set and then I am going to go find them and 'let' them find me and then lead them straight towards it." A.J. watched for their reactions.

Rather than starting off with a barrage of objections and questions the others stood across from their two leaders with varied looks of disbelief, fear and admiration. Everyone knew the gravity of what she was about to undertake and what the ultimate cost could end up being. They also knew that both she and Dixie would do whatever was necessary to secure their safety.

"How are you going to find them without them finding you?" Joanne asked while studying her best friend's face. She knew the look in her now sea green eyes. She was the only one in the group who knew about her dark past experience and what she was emotions she was overcoming to even think about taking this chance.

"I'm a tracker, trust me it won't be all that hard. Their doing to same with us, so it shouldn't take that long to 'run into them'. Everything has to be set when I lead them back towards you, alright?"

"Wait, if they are tracking us too, then how are you going to lead them here without them knowing what you are doing?" Sandy inquired with a look of worry on her face.

"As far as they are concerned we are just a bunch of women on a camping trip. They don't see us as any kind of real threat. They want something they think we have but don't see us as being able to put up any kind of real fight. So I don't think that it is even going to occur to them that she might be setting them up." Dixie said with a confidence that managed to disguise her own trepidation.

"Yeah, so they'll be stupid enough to follow me. I'll make it seem as though there is more than just me running. That will make them think that we're all just scattered about in a panic. This is what we have going for us and that is where all of you come in."

Taking another deep breath she continued, "I know that this has been tough on all of you guys and I am so proud of you and what you have accomplished." A.J. was being completely honest about that much. These women had no formal training what so ever, yet so far they were able to control their instincts and focus on saving their own lives.

"We haven't done anything yet....." Emily's stomach was protesting both the lack of food and the constant release of adrenaline that had been coursing through her for what seemed like an eternity.

"Are you kidding me? You are conquering your fears and doing what needs to be done to get out of this! Do you realize how few people could do that? There are new recruits that can't do that! All of you need to know that you CAN do this!" Dixie's voice was gentle yet firm, leaving no room for debate.

"Alright we need to get going with this. Now everyone pair up and do exactly what Dixie tells you to. Please remember to be very, very careful. The last thing we need is for one of these traps to backfire on us!"

Now that the conversation had been wrapped up A.J. observed, watching the others organize and begin to build the devices that were one of the only things that stood between them and only GOD knows what. Dixie was in the thick of things both with helping and supervising, making sure that everything was done according to plan.

Feeling confident that things were under control A.J. shook out her shoulder length hair, allowing it to tumble down and over her shoulders. The cascades of reddish medium brown hair glistened in the sun, framing her angular face. Her skin was bronzed to a few shades deeper than Johnny's. Doing this was honoring a tradition from her Sioux heritage, warriors always worn their hair down, unrestrained in times of battle. What they were caught up in was nothing less than war.

She knelt down and unlaced and retied the leather laces on her knee high moccasins making sure they were snug and secure. She had on hip hugger jeans and a longer Camouflage green tank top and a light weight leather jacket, which she had made sure to include in her back pack. Beyond that she had a length of rope and one of the medical kits.

Standing back up she looked upwards and silently said prayers to the Creator. She prayed for her to have the strength to lead them off of this mountain, alive and reasonably well. With out making a single sound she disappeared into the foliage.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

A.J. made her way silently through the trees and brush. She was using her Lakota training to leave virtually no markings along the path that she created. These men may have military training but even the Marines didn't use the same methods as the Lakota Sioux. She was reasonably certain that there was only one person on this mountain that would be able to read the subtle signs that she left behind, Johnny. The signs were small and too many would mimic marks that would be left behind by animals such as a deer or smaller game. Things like a group of tiny branches snapped and dangling were clues that an Indian tracker would notice when almost no one else would.

She pushed on the overgrowth and thorns, even as they torn into her flesh, now her older scars would undoubtedly be joined by fresh ones. She chuckled softly to herself when she thought of Johnny once telling her that 'chicks with scars turned him on'. Since joining the County Fire Department she had acquired her share of them. Now along with her reddened shoulders and bloody hands, her face, neck and arms also seeped blood. At the moment she felt none of the physical pain, her survival instincts were overriding the pain signals that were sparking in her brain.

As any solider does she wasn't allowing herself the luxury of breaking down. She was just as afraid as the rest of them, only her extensive training gave her the tools to suppress her emotions and panic. Any person who claims to never have fear in this kind of situation is either a liar or a psychopath. So instead she chose to focus on the mission. The special connection that she shared with Johnny was one tool that gave her courage and a sense of safety in this madness. She could sense that he was getting physically closer to her. What made her heart break was the torment that she was reading from him.

Unfortunately for him, he could sense her as well. He was able to read her feelings of foreboding, dread, fear and helplessness. He knew about the men tailing them and what their intentions towards her and the others were. So in turn she could feel his physical pain, he was suffering because of their bond and that burdened her even more. She would never consciously do anything to hurt him. Despite the negatives to this connection it was one of the only links that helped her hold onto her own sanity.

Then a swift motion caught her eye, she slowly turned in the direction that it was coming from. Her eyes widened in surprise when the object became clear, standing only few hundred yards in front of her was an adult Mountain Lion. His muscles rippled underneath his deep golden coat as he paced back and forth, yet he made no effort to hide himself from view.

Back at the soon to be battle sight the other women were putting the finishing details on their 'mine field'. Dixie was amazed at how they were staying in the game and so far had been able to put all of their fears and concerns aside and were setting everything up perfectly. Their maze stretched quite a distance, so that there was a greater chance of all of their pursuers being snared.

The memories that had been resurfacing were so surreal, as if she had traveled back in time to her tour in Korea. The Terrain was even similar to the area that she had served in. Of course the main difference was that these men were an isolated threat. Once they disabled them the rest of the world around them was their ally. In Korea the threats never really ended, the line between friends and enemies was consistently blurred at best. The fight for survival was exactly the same.

She wished that she shared A.J.'s ability to read people and the almost psychic connection she had with those she loved and cared for, although she knew that Kel and Joe loved her just the same. Joe had been a close friend for many, many years. Kel, well that was another story all together. When they had first met she thought he was one of the most arrogant, infuriating doctors she had ever worked with. He was smug and a little too sure of himself as far as she was concerned. Then the death of a younger patient changed her option of him, she had gained access to his heart and just how human he really was. It wasn't long after that she began to see the man that she now was deeply in love with. These emotions brought about a wave of confidence and security. She had not waited so many years to find something so special to leave it behind now.

Several traps were now in place and now all they could do was wait. Although it gave their fatigued bodies some down time, their minds were continuing to race. What lie ahead of them was something that none of them could have prepared for, a literal fight for survival and quite possibly to the death. With the exception of their two leaders not one of them could entertain the idea of defending themselves against their stalkers.

The sun was now above their heads, its radiant heat warming their goose pimpled skin. In one hand it was comforting to be able to see each other and their surroundings but they were also keenly aware that it also meant that the bad guys might be able to see them as well. The forest was thick and green which meant they did possess some natural camouflage, they couldn't be spotted from a long distance away. They were sitting in silence because none of them could think of what they could discuss. This type of situation wasn't exactly conducive to small talk.

Every sound made them jump, all except for Dixie. She was walking the perimeter back and forth, paying close attention to any sound or image that caught her attention. She would have felt much more in control if she at least had a firearm. When she left Korea she had made a promise to herself that she would never pick up another gun for the rest of her life. Even after all the years that had gone by since, until yesterday she had had every intention of keeping that promise.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The search party had reluctantly agreed to take the time to sit down and eat some breakfast, it only made sense for them to do so. They couldn't begin the search until daylight; therefore acquiring some food to fuel their rescue efforts was a wise choice to make.

"Johnny, come on you have to eat something....you're not going to be any good to her if you don't take care of yourself. Consider it doctor's orders!" Joe Early sternly suggested.

"I just feel like I am going to jump out of my own skin. So far we have done absolutely nothing to save them! For all we know we're going to get there too late to do anything but....." His frustration was only a few steps from implosion but he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He wanted to say that all they were going to able to do was recover their bodies, however he wasn't going to do that to Joe.

They were all seated together at a rather large table in the back of the restaurant. The waitress didn't seem to bat an eye about such a huge setting. She simply nodded at the Sheriff when he made his request and then seated them.

"Hey Pally, if she knew that you were being this negative she would kick your butt!" Hank Stanley found himself chuckling at his own remark. He knew that if need be she could indeed accomplish the feat in question.

"The Captain is quite accurate in his statement, she would be very displeased." Craig commented his tone once again had gained its usual flat monotone. He had managed so far to pull himself together and put on his game face.

"Hey Doc, do you remember when she tossed that biker in the ER?" Roy was trying to redirect the conversation, praying it would ease some of the tension that they all were experiencing.

Kel thought about it for a moment with a look of confusion on his face while he thought about what Roy was talking about. "Oh my word! Believe it or not I almost forgot about that! That was something else! I think that the guy wasn't injured as much as he was in shock!"

A round of laughter filtered amongst the men, the Sheriff and the Agent looked on with bewilderment. They both were taking in the obvious bond that existed between all of these men. They were anxious to get the mission under way and also to meet this woman that the others held in such regard.

"Who are you talking about? Is this woman your wife?" Agent Deevers asked Gage. "What does she do for a living?" He was cleared perplexed as to what female would be laying down the law for a biker.

Some more quiet laughter ensued for a few moments before Johnny answered him. "No, she's not my wife....at least not yet." He gave himself a mental note that when they got home one of the first things they were going to do was settle on the date to make her his bride.

"She's one of us...a rescue paramedic." Marco finished answering the question. A moment of joy was watching the look of surprise and now chronic confusion on the faces of the two law men.

"Wait a minute; I didn't think that there were any females in the fire department! You mean she does everything that you men do?" Sheriff Walters hadn't intended his comments to sound so blatant.

"Don't worry about it. That is pretty much the same reaction that we all had! A.J. is many, many things.....being an average woman isn't one of them!" Chet spoke up, grateful for the distraction even if only lasted a few moments.

Mike Stoker was even quieter than his usual self, staring off in the distance. His mind was torn between obsessing over what they were going to do for Alice and the others and the other half was paying attention to the conversation before him. While Alice had been his main focus, he was also worried about Wolfie, she was like a sister to him, more than once she had rode him about letting go and taking a chance, telling him that he needed to ask his new love out.

"Hey, don't forget that Dixie can hold her own too! She has military experience!" Turning to look towards the far end of the table he addressed his next declaration to the cops. "Both A.J. and Dixie were in the army in field hospitals in war time. They aren't helpless up there but they are going to need back up." Morton felt slightly better revisiting that piece of information. The more he focused on the silver linings of the situation the better.

"Speaking of which, look outside...the sun is up. Let's get moving it's all the sooner that we can find them and go home." Stoker's request was met by eager compliance. All of them were beyond ready to take on the rescue mission.

They all rose up, each one placing money on the table to leave a decent tip for their waitress, then started to figure out who owed what to divide up the bill.

Sheriff Walters grabbed the bill out of Roy's hands and told them, "Don't worry about this, I'll put it on my tab. It's the least I can do; besides it looks good come tax season." He grinned.

They each murmured their thanks, not taking the time to contest his generosity. Instead they filed out of the restaurant and into their vehicles and began their journey up the mountain, praying for guidance in locating their loved ones efficiently.

The drive went faster than they had anticipated, since there was very little traffic so early in the morning. The roads were extremely windy and had a sharp incline.

They drove until they arrived at the region of the park that Joe had located on the map back the Sheriff's office. The area was leveled off and the cars were parked in a clearing, the line trees only a few hundred feet in front of them.

The Sheriff's patrol car's hood was made into a makeshift command center. He busied himself with creating a grid on the maps that he brought alone. Using this method was to make certain that the areas were all searched equally, plus then each team had one to take with them.

"Alright we are going to split up into two's. I brought all of the radios from the station, so each time takes one and keeps in contact on fifteen minute intervals. That means you call in, even if you didn't find anything. That way we can keep accountability; these men are people that you should be taking any chances with." Walters was firm on this point.

So remember no heroes, OK? If you see them, don't approach them for any reason with out back up, understand?" Deevers ordered them.

With out further delay the teams headed in their assigned directions and the search was underway.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The big cat had planted itself directly in A.J.'s path, it was making eye contact but the body language wasn't that of impending attack. For a few moments she was afraid and was at a loss of how to defend herself from its massive paws, not to mention the claws. If it so choose, it could rip her apart with its powerful jaw and the teeth inside. In any case the confrontation would most certainly be fatal, which would leave her friends even more vulnerable than they already were.

Then a calming came over her as she stared into its large brown eyes. "Haw kola, Igmutaka." She whispered to the mountain lion in Lakota. For a lowered it's head as if it was giving her a sign that it knew that she understood its intentions.

After a few moments it turned and began to move into the tree line, in a different direction than she had been prepared to go. Glancing up to the heavens she said another silent pray and then dutifully followed the magnificent creature. She had discovered many years ago that her animal guide was the cougar, so now in her time of need he seemed to be asking her to trust him and right now she could use any help that she could get.

Especially for it's immense size the big cat moved with an unusual grace, the gigantic paws landing on the forest floor making no sound. He glided through the trees and foliage with no effort at all. Unfortunately for her it was not quite nearly as effortless. The scratches and lacerations seemed to be forever multiply with every whip of the many branches that had to be parted to stay on the 'trail' that Igmutaka was taking. The uneven soil littered with rocks and fallen limbs was giving her lower body as work out as well.

The gentle giant slowed down to a stop and A.J. calculated that she was not anymore than four miles from where the rest of the team was awaiting their prey. Moving so rapidly through the trees even the most experienced person could lose their way; however a Lakota tracker would not, nor did she. She used all of her senses to take in the scenery are her, listening for anything that would sound like the men who had been stalking them.

With one final low growl the cougar turned it's head back to look at her, then blended back into the trees. "Pilamaya, kola", she whispered a thanks to her guide.

She quickly crouched down when she hear sounds not created by nature. Straining her ears she could hear disembodied voices. Although she couldn't yet understand why was being said she could comprehend that they weren't very happy. With out disturbing anything around her she moved closer to listen in on their conversation.

"Well so far your plan has just worked out great! We are so close to finding these chicks.....oh wait....no were NOT!!" One of the men hissed at the other.

"Shut up! I am so sick of your whining! I swear if you don't shut that big mouth of yours...." Another voice threatened.

"Don't you speak to my brother that way! We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you! We could have just killed those two when we had the chance!" The volume in the first man's voice rose.

"We didn't know which one of them had the camera that took that shot, it could have been one of the others...." Yet another man spoke up defensively.

"Look I just want to get this over with and get the Hell out of here!" This voice was almost stuttering and seemed to be more timid than the others.

"The retard has a good point for a change. Bickering isn't getting us any closer to get us off this damn mountain!" The second voice seemed to have regained control of the others.

Thinking to herself she processed what she had just overheard. "Picture? What are they talking about? No one else mentioned anything about it and they probably looked at all of theirs while they were waiting for us. "Oh dear GOD, her camera jammed, that has to be it!"

Now all she needed was a distraction. She surveyed her immediate surroundings looking for something that she could use to get them to follow her, yet give her enough time to get away. In any case the margin for error was slim, she couldn't stay too far ahead or they might lose track of her, too close and she would never make it to her destination. Then again the tattoos on the two older men's arms told her that they weren't just some country bumpkins, so if she left an obvious enough trail they would easily be able to follow it.

So instead she quietly back tracked about half of a mile away from where she was positioned, then created a trail back to the where she had been lying in wait. Thankfully, they were still arguing when she had come back. Her plan was to then throw them some bait. They would pick up the trail that she had created, while she would go another direction entirely and then circle back to the end of the trail that she had already marked. After that she would continue to create the trail until they reached the ambush that was set up.

She had also thought ahead and purposefully left her bandanna there, praying one of them would recognize it and assume that it came from her. "OK, here goes everything....."

With the same throwing arm she used in softball, she hurled several large stones into the trees right across from where the men were standing in the clearing. They landed in the area where her bandanna was lying. With a start they all focused on where they had heard the noise and seen the rustling in the forest.

"Shhh.....look over there! You think it's one of them?" Danny questioned.

"Deer don't make that much noise, they can run without making a sound. Let's go!" Burt had once again regained control of his team.

Now that she was certain that they had taken the bait A.J. turned back and moved like a quick as a rabbit making her way through the foliage and trees. She had to get there ahead of them so there would be a trail for them to follow the rest of the way. She was making good time when she her foot caught a root on the forest's floor, causing her to pitch forward and catch the palm of her left hand on some thorns. The already battered flesh split down to the bone, blood bubbling to the surface, staining her shirt sleeve and the ground below. Pain seared through her hand, for a brief few seconds she became extremely light headed.

Pushing through the yet another source of pain she regained her footing and continued on, there was simply no other option available to her. Later on there was going to be plenty of time to register the physical and emotion turmoil of the last three days. For now all she could do was pray and continue to lure them back to the others.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The rest of the gang had rechecked every single nuance of the traps they had laid out for their stalkers. Their patience was being overshadowed by their paranoia and fear. With every second passing by the tension among them was building to a terrifying climax. What if she didn't return? What if they had overtaken her and she was hurt, dying or worse? How would they even know? These endless 'what if?' questions were left unspoken amongst them. Everything had been hashed out before and revisiting it wouldn't change the outcome. Now all of the women who had only begun to explore their friendship could do was pray for a miracle.

Dixie had yet to sit down, she preferred to be on her feet and checking the perimeter for any sign of A.J.'s return or an attack from either the men pursuing them or the creatures who made this mountain their home. There was absolutely nothing else that she could do until the prey came to their little party. She tried to focus her mind on Wolfie, hoping to pick up on some kind of vibe to alleviate her own fears. This would be the turning point of their survival. If something happened to the paramedic Dixie was more than certain that she couldn't handle the rest of the group alone, they would most certainly fall apart if the worst happened.

A bird call echoed from the shrubbery, which Dixie recognized as the prearranged signal that she and A.J. had set up so she wouldn't accidentally startle the others. She spun around to where the sound was originating from just in case it was someone other than her, in her hands was a section of branch large enough to case a significant amount of damage to any part of the human body that it impacted with.

As her friend merged from the tree line she sighed with relief that was until her gaze lowered to the ground where crimson drops were making a distinct pattern on the forest floor. When her eyes rose upwards she quickly detected the source of the bleeding.

"A.J.! What happened?" Dixie shouted louder than she had intended.

"It's not as bad as it looks. I just tripped and caught my hand on some thorns, no big deal." She tried to downplay the injury but figured that once everyone saw it first hand they would argue the point.

The others had already encircled their leader to get a good look at what had made the nurse so excited. The sight of blood covering her hand and the small pool of it on the ground caused alarm to say the least.

"Oh GOD, are you alright?" Joanne thought about how stupid that question sounded as soon as she uttered the words.

"I'm fine. I know that it looks bad but really it's not. I always say there is a reason that my mom didn't name me Grace!" Although it did hurt quite a bit she forced her voice to hold a lighter tone.

Dixie grasped her arm and turned it so that the palm of Wolfie's hand was in full view. She involuntarily gasped at the sight; her hand was slick with blood that had created streams that snaked down her fingertips. She released her arm only longer enough to lean down and rummage through her medical bag. She quickly located the supplies that she needed and then stood up again to tend to her hand.

Looking at Dixie scrunch up her face as she began wiping her hand to clean the wound she thought about how little time they had until their targets would be upon them. She knew that her partner in arms was well aware of that fact herself and was working as fast as she could to staunch the bleeding and bandage her wound.

Dixie had finally managed to wipe away the grime and already clotting blood unveiling how deep and ragged the injury was; the creamy, ivory colored bones in her hand were visible. It had bled a great deal but it looked like no major blood vessels had been affected. The biggest concern now would be the almost certain infection that had probably already started growing deep within her tissues.

Anticipating A.J.'s question, Sandy spoke up. "Everything is set up and ready, just the way that Dixie wanted."

"That's great! They can't be too much further away. Now does everyone remember what to do?" A.J. scanned the women around her to make sure that they all were on the same page.

She stopped in mid speech, her eyes narrowing as she focused on what her sixth sense was telling her. She could feel that they were close almost with in range of the first booby trap. The time for debate and preparation was over, let the games begin.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Burt had one thing on his mind, making these Bitches pay. He couldn't fathom how things had gotten so out of control. All he wanted was the money and to get rid of these two kids who were in his opinion a waste of life. Sid was could be trusted, he had been in enough scrapes with him. Splitting the money two ways made a lot more sense than giving any to the Whiny Brothers. Once they got off this forsaken mountain there would be never again be any mention of a band of chicks causing him so much grief.

The trees and vines were seemingly fighting against the four men who were plowing their way through the forest. They were leaving quite a trail in their wake but didn't give it much thought. They had no clue that the women were capable of tracking their moments, in the past few days they had continued to underestimate their prey. It simply didn't cross their minds that any one of them might possess any survival skills.

Sid wanted to kill The Retard right now, rather than wait till after this whole mess was over. As far as he was concerned he was just slowing them down and when push came to shove he wouldn't have the guts to do what had to be done. Danny, he could do the job and then he would be dispatched. There were two things sustaining him now, the money and what fun he was going to have with the broads once they caught up with them.

On occasion Derek glanced back at his brother who was bringing up the rear. He was starting to huff and puff as their pace picked up. He wasn't overweight by any standard but was far from athletic either. He felt pity for Danny, he was a good kid at heart or at least he was at one time, before their mother got her hands on him. When their father was still alive he had tried to protect both of them from her wrath, once he was gone all bets were off. He had been arrested for the first time when he was only sixteen, that time was spent at Juvenal Hall. That certainly wasn't his only run in with the Law and the crimes only escalated. Then he got busted for this job and left Danny alone with her for five years that was the one thing in his life he regretted.

He knew that Derek was looking out for him the best that he could. He also feared that the other two had no intention of allowing them to leave this mountain. So he tried his best to not draw to much attention and hope that his big brother had a plan on how to get them out of this mess. Part of him wished that they could just leave and not hurt the campers but he knew that Derek couldn't go back to prison and he couldn't go back to live with Momma. He would do just about anything for that not to happen.

Burt was still taking point carefully using his keen eye to stay on the trail. Something in him could sense that they were getting very close to ending their search that they were almost on top of them. He didn't realize just how close they were, that was until he felt something tighten around his ankle, before he could even look down to inspect what was happening his legs were jerked out from underneath him and almost instantly he was suspended in mid air.

"What the Hell!" He yelped in surprise. "Get me down from here!"

Sid looked over in confusion; at first his eyes couldn't locate his screaming partner. His gaze went upwards towards the sound of the ranting. Burt was dangling upside down from his left ankle, his face turning beet red from blood rushing to his head. He then quickly traced backwards towards the source of the rope.

"Hey Retard! Cut him down!" Sid threw a menacing glance behind him. "Are you deaf too? I said get him down....now!" His voice was full of rage yet almost whisper quiet.

Danny moved swiftly and used his serrated knife blade to saw through the rope holding Burt upside down. He fought to urge to leave him there but he knew that the repercussions would be severe if he didn't. Once the tension on the rope around his ankle gave way he hit the ground with a loud thump.

The first trap did its job, the men ran straight into the 'mine field' with little regard, their tempers overshadowing their better judgment and training. They had advanced several hundred feet before Sid noticed something odd on the forest floor.

He held his hand up motioning Burt to what his eyes had detected. The normal leaves and other natural debris had been disrupted and instead there was a disproportionate amount of twigs leaves and branches all arranged unnaturally. With another motion of his hand Sid pointed to Derek, communicating that he should move to the left with him. Burt yanked Danny by his sleeve moving them to the right of the suspicious area.

Without any warning the ground suddenly shifted underneath Sid and Derek. For a couple of seconds they felt weightless, that is before gravity took over and they both did very ungraceful dives into darkness.

The few seconds of time that passed before Derek impacted the pit floor were exhilarating mixed with terror. He knew that the sudden stop wouldn't be gentle and in another moment that theory was proven true. As he writhed around trying to block out the pain ebbing through his body, he eyes located a still figure next to him. Sid was lying face down with his neck at an odd angle; his eyes were open but not blinking. He didn't have to feel for a pulse to know that he was dead, probably from a broken neck.

Not surprisingly Sid's death more of a relief than any kind of tragedy. However, that didn't mean anything if he couldn't find a way out of this hole. Looking around he could tell that it wasn't man made. The tree roots were snaking their way through the soil, besides there was no possible way that the women would have had enough time to dig something so deep.

His first attempt was to use the protruding roots to climb his way out. He only got about half way up when the ground under his feet crumbled and he fell back onto his back. His body immediately launched a protest to the newest insult. He gazed upwards and saw a slender figure staring down at him.

A.J. stood at the edge of the pit for only a few moments. She knew that the entrapment of two their stalkers was far from the end of their nightmare. The sight of only one of the men moving was sadly a relief, she had hoped for the minute possibility that this could have been resolved without anyone dying on either side. Although she was more than capable of killing in self defense, the healer in her always wished for another way. Despite what many war movies portray, killing never really comes easily, with every death comes spiritual and psychological repercussions. She moved away and continued her covert surveillance of the plan now set in motion.

Danny heard his brother's scream echo amongst the trees and turned to run towards to direction that it came from, only to be stopped by Burt.

"Are you really that retarded?" He hissed into the younger man's ear.

"Derek is hurt! I have to find him!" Danny was past the point to worrying about pissing the other man off.

"You can't do anything to help him! Listen, all you are going to accomplish is getting yourself caught or killed! How is that going to help your brother?" Burt attempted in vain to sound concerned about Derek to pacify him.

"I don't care what you say! I am going to help....."

Danny was only a few feet away from Burt when his foot caught on something. He was thrown off balance causing him to fall forward. He didn't have time to notice what he had landed on; he was snatched up into rope netting which secured him high up in the canopy of leaves and high branches.

Seeing what happened Burt took off, heading in the opposite direction of the supposed trail, finally realizing that he was no longer in control of the game. Now that he was running for his life the hunter had become the hunted.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The sun was fully illuminating the entire mountain when the crews started their search. Each of the five teams was paired off, with each team carrying a radio and other basic supplies. They had driven to the location where Joe made an educated guess as to where they may have camped out. The forest was lush and green, which under any other circumstances would be regarded as beautiful and relaxing.

They stayed as a united party searching for their campsite. Then they could get a better idea as to where they may have headed or maybe whether or not they had been abducted and taken somewhere. Each man fanned out to cover more ground, while keeping in eye contact. The silence amongst all of them was deafening.

Keeping up with the younger searchers wasn't all that difficult for Joe Early. He wasn't as old as most people assumed because his hair had turned gray in his mid 20's, besides he was very fit, it helped him deal with the stress of being an emergency department doctor. The exhaustion he experienced now wasn't due to intensive physical activity; it was more the emotional and psychological stress that was wearing him down.

"Joe, please don't go there." The voice of Kel Brackett snapped him out of his internal fuming.

"What? Go where?" Joe knew what he meant but didn't want to admit it.

"Stop thinking the worst, it isn't going to help. Trust me; I know because it's where my mind has been going. You are already trying to think of what you are going to tell her parents, aren't you?" Kel had learned how to read his colleague and friend years ago.

"You are right, Kel....I just wish that we could find them. You know I am worried about Dixie too." Joe suddenly felt a little guilty for focusing only on his niece.

"Don't be silly, of course you are. Look, I will worry more about Dixie and you stay focused on A.J. Then we don't have to do so much multitasking..." Kel gave up a little smile.

"You have got a deal...then we can trade in a while...." Joe couldn't help but produce a small grin himself.

On the other end of the line Agent Deevers and Sheriff Walters were discussing what they were going to do with the civilian recruits. They were both keep a watchful eye on their deputies.

"Do you actually think that this is going to end well? I mean come on Bobby, these guys aren't cops, their firemen. Worse yet, each and every one of them are emotionally involved." Deevers kept his voice hushed.

"Don't you think I considered all of that? What choice do we have? This isn't exactly a metropolitan you know! I have notified the State Police but it's going to take them time to get here. From everything that we know about these dirt bags, do you think we have time to spare?" Walters whispered back to the federal agent.

"Let's just hope and pray that when this is all over, bodies aren't scattered over the mountain side....." Deevers stopped in mid thought when he realized what looked like a canvas tent in the distance.

As the group got closer to the campsite they took in the surroundings. When it was first spotted the tent and the area appeared quite peaceful and beautiful. It was only when they got closer that they were witness to one of their greatest fears, the tent was half collapsed and upon further inspection the contents inside were strewn about, another vital clue was that both of their vehicles were missing.

"Well, I guess they never had a chance to pack anything up." Brice stated the obvious, his usual callus tone was cracking with emotion.

"Do you think that they left on their own? I mean they could have seen that something was wrong and took off before anything bad happened..." Morton was fighting to hold on to his optimism.

"Or they could have stolen the cars after they....they...." Stoker's eyes betrayed him as a single tear spilled down his cheek.

"Hold on Mike, there isn't anything here that says that's what happened. We have to keep the faith....Why would they take both cars?" Marco wasn't going to allow the dark images to evade his mind again.

"Alright, now what do we do now? What is the next step?" Hank was doing his best to stay in the mind set of command, his men needed him now more than ever before.

"The rest of you stay here, Bobby and I are going to search the tent and see if it tells us anything useful." Agent Deevers wanted to keep the crime scene as unpolluted as possible.

Chet had been on this emotional roller coaster this entire time and he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. When they first noticed the campsite his last delusion had dissolved, the love of his life wasn't simply lost in the woods.

"Gage, what do you 'feel' about all of this?" In everyday life Gage and Kelly shared a unique relationship, wherein he loved to 'torture his pigeon', that included digs about his Indian heritage. However he knew that there was a bond that he shared with A.J.

"They are NOT dead. I can still feel her, their running and scared, their on foot." Gage replied not really looking at any one person.

"What is it Johnny? What do you see?" Roy inquired, his own pulse thundering in his ears.

"Unfortunately, we didn't find anything that is very useful. The good news is that there is no traces of blood anywhere...there doesn't appear to be any serious injuries." Walters released a sigh of his own after relaying the information.

"We have to go this way..." Johnny spoke once again, he started off in the direction that he had just pointed to.

"You can't just go off half cocked!" The agent protested. His demand fell on deaf ears as the others obeyed him and started walking down the dirt path that lead away from the campsite.

The jog downhill gave their bodies a small reprieve, not one word was spoken amongst each other. The road way was steep and windy causing their jog to develop into a dead run. After a short distance the random pattern of dust swirls shifted to a pattern of several sets of tire tracks.

As if led by an unseen force Gage never lost his sense of direction and continued onwards, never stopping to look around. He came to the edge of the road and stared down into the ravine. Without one word, he started to maneuver his way towards the bottom. The others quietly and carefully navigated the sharp rocks and shifting soil.

Once at the bottom of the ravine Johnny with Roy at his side pressed forward. His mind was focused solely on the voice that was telling him which direction to take.

"Talk to me Tehila, talk to me..." He muttered to himself.

He came to a halt suddenly, almost causing a pile up of responders. Now in a panicked sprint he darted up to what he had discovered, two vehicles intertwined in a mangled heap. When he peered inside the Range Rover his eyes were immediately drawn to dark sticky substance on the front and back seats and then his nostrils filled with the stench of blood.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The others led by Dixie were hurriedly making their way towards the trail of waterfalls. The density of trees and hidden caves would provide much needed cover if any of their assailants made it through Booby Trap Alley. Their spirits and adrenaline output were at an all time high, now instead of simply being victims they were turning the tables on the predators.

The trail was familiar to all of them making their trek a bit friendlier than the other areas of the forest they had been to them. None of them even looked back once, knowing that every step they made gave them a greater chance of survival. The only sounds were that of their feet snapping twigs on the forest floor and the occasional gasp as the lower branches whipped their bodies as they sped by them.

Dixie monitored the pace of all of her friends. She was counting her blessings that all of them had great conditioning, adrenaline could only take them so far, it was their stamina that was giving them that extra push. Her gut was telling her that danger was close, too close. The only chance of relative safety was getting to the highest waterfall on the long trail. The thundering water hid behind it a cave large enough for them to cram into, giving them excellent camouflage that was also strategically wise. Once inside they would be virtually invisible.

As he stormed through the woods Burt fought the urge to scream at the top of his lungs. He couldn't believe the how the last two days had unfolded. The time line started out the money being so close that he could taste, and then the only thing stopping him was a few helpless women, now he was the one running from them. How was this possible? He was in the Special Forces for Pete's sake!

The Army had taught him how to survive in any terrain, how to track down your enemy. So why was dealing with these women proving to be so difficult? The military wasn't the reason for his rage, he had that long before he had enlisted. Unwittingly, they had provided him with the tools he needed to lord power of others, especially those weaker than himself. That was one of the only things that made life worth living. A lesson he would teach each and every one of them in due time, starting with the red head who seemed to be in charge.

The pace of the race towards the safety of the cave hadn't slowed down a bit. The goal was clear to each of the friends, who were now longing for their destination to be reached. The sun was beating down on their already fatigued bodies; their clothes were drenched with sweat. None of them had had any nourishment or water for several hours and that in it's self was draining them of vital energy.

They individually let out a deep breath of relief when they came around the bend in the trail and beheld the sight of the first of dozens of waterfalls; the largest of them was not yet visible. The water droplets and vapors were saturating the dry, dusty soil, which created a problem. Now as they continued to their destination, their feet were leaving impressions in the ground; ones that could lead their pursuers straight to them.

Joanne's stride was long and deliberate as she kept pace with Sandy at the front of the pack. A few days ago she would have never thought in a million years that she would have ever been put in this situation. Her thoughts turned to her husband and what she was going to do when she laid eyes on him again. She was wondering if what was happening now was in anyway similar to what he dealt with in Army, particularly his tour in Vietnam. He never spoke of that time to anyone, not even her. In some ways it hurt her that he wouldn't share that part of his life but the look in his eyes when it was brought up told her to respect his privacy. The only thing she could do now was survive this nightmare and focus on seeing him and her two precious children again.

Sandy was keeping pace herself but was also keeping a watchful eye on Emily and Alice who were just behind her. Their strides weren't as long but they were still on the other women's heels. She pushed back any negative thoughts and forced her mind to replay moments that she spent with Chet. When they had first met she wanted nothing to do with him. He seemed so arrogant and full of himself, traits she loathed in any person. Then after he bugged her long enough she had finally agreed to go out with him. She hadn't ever planned on dating a fireman; however since that night on she couldn't imagine herself with any other man. Right at this moment she was more than relieved that rescue work was what he did best and the knowledge that he would move heaven and earth to find her.

"Oh Hank, where are you? Please find us, darling." Emily thought to herself. Her husband was the strongest man she knew, his physical abilities were only a fraction of that strength. Physical fitness was a huge part of the job that he loved so much but his compassion and gentleness was what had drawn her to him. He would come home after every shift and talk nothing but praise of his men. She knew that he had a rough exterior but in his heart they were as much family as any he shared blood with. Although terror lurked just beyond the warm and loving thoughts, she vowed that she would make him and their children proud.

Although by only mere steps, Alice was lagging behind the others. Her heart was pounding so loudly it rang in her ears; exhaustion was only one reason why it was racing. She wanted to hang on to her newly found optimism but deep down something was telling her that the threat was far from over. Self doubt began filling her insides; she was slowing the rest of them down. Then she snapped herself out of that mind set, Mike would be disappointed in her for giving up.

Since she had accepted the first dinner invitation she had tried not to fall for the tall, dark and handsome fireman. How she loved to see him in his uniform, the blue trousers really did his back side justice. She didn't even realize that the imagine had brought a smile to her face. Now in the midst of this turmoil she couldn't bring herself to continue deny her feelings for him any longer. Once this was all over, she was going to take the biggest risk of her life and let him know exactly that.

Suddenly she felt hands wrap around her slender body, one hand clamped over her mouth and the other encircled her narrow waist. Before she could even react she was roughly pulled back into the foliage. As she struggled the arm around her torso in a flash moved around her neck, constricting her airway. Her vision became blurred as she thrashed against the rippled muscles of her attacker. She managed to remain in the moment and used her right hand to grip his family jewels and twist them with every once of strength she had left.

In a slow motion ballet from Hell, he let out a grunt and fell towards the ground, releasing his deadly hold on his victim. As he loosened his grip he still had enough balance to shove her to the ground. The whole dance lasted only a few seconds, not even leaving enough time for her to scream as her head struck a rock and her world went dark.

Burt writhed around in agonizing pain but kept a clear enough head to pull his gun out of its shoulder holster. His plan of picking them off one by one would no longer be an option, now he just wanted them all dead right here and now. He regained enough composure to get to his feet and take aim.

Dixie spun around and dodged around the others. She had heard rustling in the bushes behind them and instincts told her that it wasn't an animal. Her gaze darted back and forth over them as she moved to back of the group and noticed that Alice was not in view. Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the bushes, they honed in on the shiny object buried amongst the leaves. Instantly she recognized it as the barrel of a gun.

"GUN!! RUN!! MOVE NOW!!" She screamed. She grabbed Emily's shirt as she firmly pushed her towards the head of the pack.

The group was momentarily stunned by the outburst, confused by the rapidly changing situation. They quickly understood when they heard gunfire, the shots being fired echoed amongst the trees. When they heard a voice cry out in shock and surprise, they turned spun around to see where it came from.

Dixie remained in the rear; she scanned the forest floor for something to disarm the shooter. Knowing that refuge was still too far away she knew that she had to at least slow him down, so she picked up rocks and began hurtling them in his direction, all while continuing to run backwards with the group.

She lost her footing as a searing pain torn into her chest, taking her breath away. She felt hands grabbing at her, the ballet from Hell resumed as she glanced down at herself and saw a crimson stain ebbing across her shirt.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

After she had discovered two of their stalkers, one dead and the other entrapped; A.J. had stealthy maneuvered around the rest of the traps to see if any of the other scumbags had been caught up in any of them. She knew it was nearly impossible to have caught all of them, especially since at least two of them had military training. Then she came across one them ensnared in the netting that they had set. He was completely entangled after struggling for sometime.

"Hey, get me down from here!" The voice that came from above was attempting to sound fierce, instead his obvious fear shone through.

She studied him for a few moments deciding what to do with him. Up in the net he most certainly didn't pose any threat to them, there was virtually no way for him to escape with plunging to his own demise. He appeared to be unarmed since he didn't threaten her with a gun or use a knife to cut his way out. His face peered through the rope cradle and she noticed the similar features to the other man who in the pit. Unlike the others his eyes still had sparks of humanity in them; they weren't soulless like the first two men that she had encountered on the trail.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" She demanded.

"Just get me down from here!" His pleas were sounding more desperate.

"I don't think you're in any position to make demands...now if you tell me the truth I might not cut this rope and let you crash to the ground!" Her threat was easily convincing since she would have no problem carry it out.

He stopped thrashing for a moment as if something else had just occurred to him. "What did you do to Derek?" The last he had heard from his brother was his screams as he fell.

"Tell me what I want to know and then I'll take you to him! I am losing patience!" She wasn't even trying to disguise the hatred in her voice.

"The picture! We just wanted the picture that your friend took!" He knew what Burt was going to do to him and Derek as soon as he got the money anyway. "We came up here to get our money....and the one you took that stupid picture!"

"Besides you, how many are there?" Right now he was her only source of information. She did her best to watch his body language so she could tell if he was telling her the truth.

"Three, my brother Burt and Sid." Danny was still focused on his brother's condition; at this point things couldn't get much worse.

Satisfied with his answers she started to walk away, leaving him hanging in mid air. "Wait! Where are you going? You said you would take me to my brother!" His voice was now filled with confusion and rage.

With a one last glance upwards she replied, "I lied." Then she simply walked away armed with the knowledge that there was one more monster in their midst.

Even though she was now a fair distance away from him she could still hear the obscenities that he was screaming in her direction. Her heart held no sympathy for any of them. They had started this fight and now she was going to finish it.

She stopped in her tracks as an icy chill ran down her spine. In her gut she immediately knew that something had gone terribly wrong. She needed to get to the others as fast as her legs were going to carry her.

"DIXIE! OH GOD!" Variations of those words sang out from all of their mouths. Everything seemed to move in an extreme slow motion as their minds took in the scene that was unfolding before them.

Then something extraordinary occurred, instead of the complete meltdown that Dixie had feared might happen; the newly formed team did the exact opposite. The latest surge of adrenaline snapped their minds and bodies into fight or flight mode, and for at least this moment in time the fight mode won out.

Each woman ducked for what minor cover was available to them and picked up with what Dixie had started, tossing rocks, branches, clumps of mud, anything to distract or disarm their assailants. For what seemed like an eternity the bullets kept whizzing past them.

Before she joined her fellow fighters, Joanne dragged the wounded nurse towards the largest object between them and the gunman, a grand Evergreen Tree. She was still conscious, trying to assess her injuries and stem the bleeding.

"Dix, how bad is it?" Jo grimaced when she really looked at her friend after laying her again the opposite side of the tree.

Her mind was crystal clear as she sank into the arms of one of her friends while trying to grip her hand against her chest as her fingers became slippery with the bright red liquid that was oozing between them. Her first thoughts were not for herself but what was going to happen to her charges. Then she felt her body being lowered down on the grass and against something hard and textured.

"Oh, I've been worse..." She coughed, sending waves of pain crashing through her chest. "How many of them are there?" Her breaths were ragged and labored as she inquired about their attackers.

"I'm not sure, I don't know if the shots are coming from more than one place. I don't even know where he is shooting from!" Joanne shouted above the chaos, her frustration was obvious. She continued to throw rocks towards where she believed him to be.

Burt's rage was building to a boiling climax. The women had scampered out of his field of vision and then various objects came hurdling in his direction making it nearly impossible to regain any kind of aim. Once again his prey seemed to have the upper hand. He squeezed the trigger once more, only to hear a hollow clicking sound. He reached for his shoulder bag to locate his next clip, only there was nothing there.

"Shit!" He glanced behind him realizing that it had been torn away from him in the brief struggle with broad. Never turning his back to his targets he quickly got down on his knees to reload his weapon.

As he was trying to locate his clip his eyes were cast downwards and failed to see the rock sailing in his direction. It caught him just above his left eye, knocking him to the ground. The skin on his forehead split open and blood immediately sprung forth from the deep gash. He didn't lose consciousness but his vision blurred as the crimson river snaked down the brig of his nose.

As quickly as it had started the gunfire stopped; leaving a wake of silence. There was a window of opportunity to escape, find refuge, regroup and tend to Dixie's wounds. Joanne now stepped up and took charge; a new leader would be needed to get them to relative safety.

"Get over here! Help me get her up! We need to go now!" She barked the orders; this was no time to be worry about being diplomatic.

Emily stood on the opposite side of Joanne and lifted Dixie up, slinging her arms around their shoulder. Even in her weakened state she attempted to stand up and help them.

"Sandy, you stand between her legs and grab both of her ankles. That will make it a little easier for us to keep moving!" Joanne instructed the younger women.

"Where's Alice? We can't leave with out her!!" Sandy's eyes were filling with tears, her revolve to be strong melting away.

"I haven't seen her since the shooting started!" Emily recalled, her fear for her friend was echoed in the eyes of the other women.

"Look, she's not here, OK? I'll bet that she took off running when the shooting started! She knows where we were headed to; she's probably there waiting and worrying about us! We have to go now!" Joanne stated with confidence that she didn't really possess. She too had not seen what had happened to her younger friend.

Now with Dixie loaded into their collective arms they sprinted up the path towards the cave, praying that their pace would prove fast enough to reach their destination before the men could catch up with them. Carrying their fallen friend made it impossible to even try and make their way off the beaten path, which would only take longer.

While the women made their escape Burt had found a handkerchief and was using it to stop the bleeding from his head wound. As he pressed his hand against his forehead he worked on refocusing his eyes so everything didn't appear doubled, all the while he was cursing out loud to himself. The sheer embarrassment of being foiled by rocks and mud was beyond humiliating.

Then his entire mood changed when his eyes beheld an incredible sight, the chick he had grabbed off of the trail and wrestled with was lying on the ground not far from him. She was petite; her long hair partially covered her pale white face.

The others were running scared again. He could easily and quickly track them down again, since they were leaving an obvious trail. Plus, they now had a wounded person to deal with, he was in no hurry.

He slithered over to her semi-prone figure. Her shirt was pushed up slightly, revealing her soft ivory skin. He roughly turned and laid her onto her back. One of the straps on her pale green tank top was torn, showing off her freshly created bruises from the choke hold he had had on her. He ran his hands up and down her legs stopping at the waist band of her jeans.

"Well, well...it looks like I am going to have some real fun after all....."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"How much further can it be? He's right behind us, I just know it!" Emily made her statement in the form of a question. Even though she was one of three people carrying their fallen leader, her arms were quickly becoming fatigued.

"Shh, keep your voice down! If he is near us we don't want to give him any help finding us!" Joanne chided her; she felt the same fear but knew that allowing it to control her actions would only serve to get them killed.

She now felt a sense of weightlessness as she was being carried by her friends. It didn't take decades of medical training for her to realize that along with her obvious blood lose; her right lung was at least partially collapsed. Her breathing was becoming more and more difficult on her right side.

The rest of the desperate hike went by fast as lightening, which matched the speed in which they seemed to be running. Their bodies once again defying the odds by wrangling up more power, even though their fuel reserves were drained. The sun was now all but blistering; its intensity was even felt among the thickness of the forest's canopy.

The sound of the rushing water could be heard above the chatter of the forest. The gigantic beast now lay before them, its cascading water barreling down the face of the cliff it began on. Behind the white foam caps lay their only chance of concealment.

"OK, don't have much time. How are we going to carry her to the cave?" Sandy wondered out loud.

There was a narrow ledge that ran up beside the flowing water. It was steep and the rocks lining it were slick with moss. With all of them mobile it was going to be a treacherous climb, much less trying to carry a person at the same time.

"Dixie, do you think you can walk if we assist you?" Joanne whispered to the nurse, her face twisted with the pain that was ebbing throughout her chest.

"Don't think that I have much choice...." She cried out when her response was followed by spasms that torn through her.

"I'll go first and then when I get to the ledge guide her up to me." Emily decided which gave her a much needed sense of empowerment.

"Alright, Sandy you follow behind Dixie and try and support her as much as you can. I'll keep an eye out until you the three of you get into the cave." Joanne was sure that she wasn't the only one praying that Alice would be waiting for them inside. If she were in there the noise from the pulsating water would keep her ignorant to their arrival.

Joanne quieted her mind and concentrated on focusing her eyes; praying that she would notice anyone approaching before they were right on them. Never in her life did she want to be rescued as she did this day. Although she never really considered herself to be a feminist, she did take pride in the fact that she was able to take care of herself in any situation; that is until now.

Emily managed to make her way to the ledge with little trouble. The real challenge lay in keeping secure footing; the green moss coated both the rocks and the ground they were nestled in. As gingerly as possible she took Dixie's hands in her own as Sandy gently guided her up the trail and into her grasp.

Her breathing was becoming increasingly difficult; her entire chest cavity felt as if it were collapsing on itself. If she were able to she would have chuckled a bit to herself, climbing cliffs and walking around with a punctured lung seemed like something she would have yelled at Johnny Gage for doing.

Sandy watched with relief as Emily took the brunt of Dixie's weight and led her into the mouth of the cave. She then turned and signaled Joanne to accompany them. She remained outside of the entrance, watching her newly appointed leader struggle in her efforts to reach her.

"DAMN IT!" Joanne cursed loudly as her foot slipped over the edge; the water quickly soaking her boot. The deafening sound of the waterfall muted anything she was screaming. The profanities continued when she noticed the jagged slices in her right palm after she used it to catch herself from careening over the edge.

Seeing that she was in need of a little extra boost; Sandy latched onto Joanne's water logged shirt and yanked her towards the entrance. Once she was sure that her friend had found her footing she let go of her and they both made their way towards the other two.

The first thing they took note of was Emily's sobbing. She was sitting down with her legs crossed 'Indian style'. Dixie was slouched against her with her eyes closed and her breathing labored.

"Get my medical bag....." Dixie requested her voice was surprisingly strong and firm.

"Where is it? Who has it?" Joanne was already on her knees frantically searching through the many canvas bags.

"It's one of the khaki green ones....I picked it up when she fell...." Sandy replied as she knelt down to join in on the search.

"I GOT it!" Joanne declared with pride.

With her chest heaving Dixie started to give them further instructions. "Take out one of the alcohol pads and swipe it here......" She fought to maintain her composure when she coughed again. She pointed to an area on her right side, just below the collar bone.

"Now take out one of the larger syringes...." She paused while her orders were carried out. "Now I need you to take it and jab it straight into me....you need to push hard....." Another second or two went by as she paused again to catch her breath; her finger still marking the exact spot that she wanted them to drive the needle into her spasmodic chest.

With a grimace contorting her face Joanne did as she was instructed. At this point she was counting her blessings that Dixie was still conscious enough to walk them through this endeavor. She did as she was asked and after taking a deep breath she plunged the needle all the way in at the area that was indicated.

"Alright, now slowly pull back on the stopper...." She was using her depleted reserves just to stay awake and talking. "Then take some small pieces of tape and secure the needle to my chest...."

Joanne's hands were starting to shake from fatigue and fear as she once again followed the nurse's instructions. It took some effort to pull back on the plunger while not extracting the needle from its' burial spot.

She and the others were awarded with a shuttering sigh or relief coming from their fallen friend as she drew in almost a full breath from both lungs. Her coloring improved ever so slightly as well.

Emily's hands during all of it had not left the bullet wound that had ripped into her friend; she continued to hold pressure against the crimson stain. Although it had not stopped the bleeding had subsided, Em wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing.

The other two friends not had the opportunity to survey the dimensions of the cave itself, which wasn't exactly roomy. Now that Dixie was at least temporarily taken care of they all had a chance to absorb the reality.....that Alice had never made it to their meeting place.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Upon the request of the two law men the team had continued to search with a few hundred feet of each other, far enough apart that the pairs of men had to use radios to communicate back and forth. In any case it was a good idea in order to not give away their positions to the bad guys if they were close by, they formed a horizontal chain, sweeping the mountain side in hopes of locating their loved ones.

The other advantage seemed to be that following Johnny's instincts was paying off, he had quickly located a trail leading away from the site of the vehicle crash that was invisible to even the former soldiers. It was inconspicuous because Wolfie was purposefully leaving subtle clues that only a experienced tracker could detect.

His eyes were trained on every single piece of foliage in the dense woods; the smallest clue could be the one that lead them to their treasure. He sense of foreboding hadn't let up even for one second since this nightmare had begun, if anything it had only gotten worse. His connection to his Tehila was tense but strong; it was the one lifeline he was holding on to. He was 'feeling' her physical pain which had developed into a numbing yet searing sensation centered in his hands. Her emotions were now subdued, almost nonexistent; a phenomenon that he too was familiar with. In dire emergencies such as this or in their careers, the ability to do that was critical; he was doing it now. If any of them allowed their fear and other emotions to cripple them, they would be useless.

Roy had been glued to Johnny's side through the urgent hike, for his own sake as well as that of his best friend. The intuition of his partner had saved both of their lives many times in the past and his prayers were that the streak would be continued. His thoughts wondered to that of his children; they were far more intuitive than most adults gave them credit for, they would know that something was wrong. How could he possibly survive with out her? How could his children? Despite his own turmoil Roy knew that his brother was feeling the same anxiety; only his experience was in full living color. In one respect his envied the connection his two best friends shared, however he didn't think he would be able to deal with 'feeling' his wife's terror through out this.

His feet froze in their tracks as his eagle eyes focusing on something that was out of place; dark crimson stains creating a dotted pattern on the forest floor. He lowered himself to the ground, resting on his haunches; his fingers dipping into the dark, sticky substance. As he raised his hand up towards his face, the coagulating material glistened in the sunshine. There was no mistaking that it was blood and he knew with out a doubt who it had belonged to.

"Oh GOD....Johnny is that...." Roy didn't bother finishing the question that he already knew the answer to.

"It's hers....please...Tehila.....where are you?" Johnny's voice cracked with a whirlwind of emotions circling in his mind.

"How do you know it's A.J.? It could be from one of the bad guys or one of the others..." He silently calculated the pool of blood into how many liters was laying on the ground. Although the site was alarming, it didn't appear to be a lethal amount.

Johnny pointed to the ground in front of them and what looked to be designs scrawled in blood. "It says 'danger' and 'hunting ground'" He used his finger to trace over the delicate symbols.

"What does that mean?" Any other time Roy would have taken the time to be impressed but now he just wanted answers.

"Traps....they laid out Booby Traps...." A small grin swept across his face; the tables just may have turned in their favor.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

_**This chapter contains some more graphic content of violence then the others in this story.**_

Blackness surrounded her senses like a shroud; she couldn't focus on anything except the echoing pain that was keeping rhythm in her skull. She commanded her eyes to open but they refused to respond, her lids felt as though they were being weighed down with concrete. She was aware enough to know that she was in grave danger and that she had to fight her way back to consciousness now or there would be no later.

Burt was already so excited that his pants were becoming uncomfortable. He was beyond furious with how everything had gone down, particularly because it was a bunch of broads that had beaten him down, until now. She was at his mercy, an emotion that was alien to him. She was petite yet muscular; it was a shame that she was making it so easy. He would have preferred to have her fight him; it made the game so much more fun.

He opened the snap to her lightweight jean shorts; his heart was racing with anticipation. He could have simply ripped them off of her and did the deed but he wanted to savory every single second. Instead his hands moved up her waist, hiking her shirt up towards her shoulders. The exposed skin of her abdomen brought even more excitement to his sick mind. He placed one knee in between her legs; his own straddling hers. Then he leaned forward, his face only inches from her heaving chest.

She could smell the acrid stench of sweat and body odor, it made her want to vomit. His hands had begun to roam over her; his fingers sweeping over her legs and torso. The sensation of his touch united her body and mind, both of them reeling with the realization of what was about to happen. Any remaining fear that had gripped her earlier had now disappeared, one thing was certain; she wasn't going to let it happen, not again.

His giddiness had overrun his own training and instincts. He was caught completely off guard, not even realizing that she had regained consciousness. Then in a flash her knee came up making solid contact with his groin, which produced a moan of anguish from her attacker. His body dropped beside her as he writhed around in obvious pain.

With out pause she kicked him hard; her foot making a definite impression on his rib cage. Using the few moments it awarded her she managed to roll onto her side and then to her knees; crawling until she could get to her feet to make a run for it. She knew that his pain would soon subside and he would more than happy to make payment in full for what she had done to him.

The excruciating pain resounded throughout his entire body; his eyes tearing up, his face flushed with rage. Despite his agony he pushed through it, watching as she crawled away from him. Rolling up and onto his feet he sprang to recapture his prey.

She had just made it to her feet but before she could engage her legs into a dead run long fingers snaked around her ankle. They gripped it tightly then yanked with brute strength pulling her legs back out from under her. She fell forward so quickly that she didn't even have time to put out her hands to protect her face, which met the unforgiving ground seconds later. Her nose smashed against the soil causing another wave of nausea to encompass her senses.

Cursing loudly he sprung on top of the prone woman, before she could push herself off the ground he shoved her face into the dirt with one hand and roughly yanked down her shorts with his other hand, his finger tips rested around the front of her neck. His legs pinned hers, allowing him to free that hand, which he then used to unzip his pants.

The physical pain that she had experienced so far amounted to nothing compared to what she knew was coming next. She continued to fight knowing that she had no leverage or strength left to stop what was happening. Her mind flashed back to her 17th birthday when she was being mauled by her Prom date. She had found out later that he had slipped her a Mickey, which made it impossible for her to fight him off. Her mind began to shut down, she felt herself leave that moment in time, not able to comprehend how this could be happening all over again.

"You thought I was going to hurt you before? Now you are going to understand what pain is...." Burt hissed into her ear. She could feel that part of himself brushing across her backside; she closed her eyes and prayed for it to be over, suddenly death seemed like a heavenly release.

He landed a punch into her ribs causing her cry out, "Get up on all fours like a dog!" She obeyed hoping that he would get it over with.

Focusing all of his energy on his victim he never even realized that someone had moved in behind him. So he was caught completely off guard when hands encircled his muscular neck. Swiftly, one hand captured the base of his skull and the other cupped his jaw; then the left hand whipped his jaw in one direction while the other hand forcefully moved in the opposite.

Waiting for the torture to begin Alice had her eyes squeezed shut, bracing herself for what was to come. Then suddenly she felt the incredible weight lift off her body and heard his body roll onto the ground. After a few moments she gathered enough courage to turn her head to see what had happened.

Standing with her amber highlights refracting in the sunlight was A.J. On the ground next to her was Burt, his neck twisted at an odd angle.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

She stood there above her friend but stared at the man whom she just killed. She felt neither guilt nor remorse for she had done, the only thing she could do to save her friend; he had brought this onto himself. His body lay there crumpled on the ground, his neck wrenched at an odd angle, his eyes open staring with a look of surprise. The technique she had learned in basic training in the Army, it effectively severed the spinal cord and the cardioid artery resulting in instantaneous death.

A.J. was herself physically shaking when she lowered herself next to Alice who was also staring at the fallen hunter of women. She gently and carefully reached for the woman who was hugging herself rocking back and forth. She more than understood her reaction to what had just happened. She had been there before; only there had been no one to save her from the monsters who stole everything from her.

Alice couldn't control the shivers that wracked her body; she could only recall one other time when she felt this cold. This time she had been saved at the last second, from the rape itself but what had happened in between was more than enough to make her want the earth to swallow her whole. Her thoughts of her friends and their fate were the farthest from her mind at the moment. She couldn't focus on her own survival either, just wanting to curl up into a ball and simply die.

She reached for her friend who was in the throws of potentially deadly shock. As her hands got closer to her she cried out and skidded away from her. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

She backed down for a moment and instead let her words convey her message. "Alice....it's me....A.J. It's over, he can't hurt you anymore....he can't hurt anyone ever again. Can you hear me?"

Alice stopped rocking but still held the empty stare that she focused on the ground in front of her feet. She had yet to even pull her shorts up from where they rested around her ankles. Her heart was racing, her breathing erratic yet she was so very cold. Her body was mottled with various size bruises, lacerations and scraps, yet at the moment she felt none of them.

A.J. stared at her not knowing exactly how to handle the situation that was growing more dangerous by the moment. Although she had seen the other two live stalkers ensnared back at Booby Trap Alley, she couldn't shake an urgent feeling of dread. One thing she learned both from her Lakota education and Army training was never assume that you are safe, for that is what gets you killed.

She didn't want to rush Alice either because that could only make things worse. If she lost it and took off in her state of mind she could hurt herself or worse, even if the bad guys were all out of commission. She comprehended that state of mind more than Alice could possibly know. However she needed her to try and collect herself or her body could go deeper into shock and that in its self could kill her.

"Just go to sleep and never wake up...." was one of the many thoughts that were plaguing her mind as her soul cried out in anguish. She felt so many emotions ranging from relief, horror, pain and guilt; guilt that she had allowed herself to be put in this situation again. After the last time she had vowed to learn self defense, do anything it took to never, ever feel like that again.

It was then that the image of Mike appeared before her, even in her turmoil she knew that he wasn't really there. However just seeing him she instantly felt shame for even thinking those thoughts. His kind, loving eyes held that of betrayal that she would even think of leaving him behind. He would find them soon, of that she was certain. That was the difference between what happened all those years ago and now; she had him in her life. Despite her self recrimination and fear of making herself vulnerable, she longed for his embrace and steady love; a love she believe would not wane once he knew the truth.

This time when the arms encircled around her she didn't pull away or even flinch; instead she leaned into the embrace and allowed the sobs to wrack he body. Her skin began to absorb the body heat coming off of her friend and the shivers began to subside. She was suddenly aware that her pants were still pulled down and the ground was being very unforgiving to her bare skin.

She sat up and looked into the eyes of her rescuer, in them she saw understanding. The bluish green irises reflected something that she had seen in her own after her first attack so long ago. With out confirmation she knew that the woman before her had been in her shoes once before and that knowledge gave her even more comfort.

"Do you think if I help you, you can get stand up?" A.J. inquired in a soften voice.

Without responding with words, she grabbed her shorts and undergarment and slowly stood up with A.J.'s assistance. The cold had been replaced with the awareness of just how bruised and battered her body was; each bruise and cut was becoming obvious to her with every move. After she was on her feet she gingerly raised them up onto her waist and fumbled around until she refasten the closure.

"We need to find the others fast, someone is hurt badly." A.J. told her. "Over there is a large pool of blood, which means one of them is critically injured; we're running out of time." There was no time to sugar coat things.

"Do you think that you can run?" She asked her tormented friend, praying that she believed she could.

"If it means we can all get the HELL out of here, I'll fly!" Alice shot back at her with a slight smile.

Holding hands to give each other strength, they started to move themselves out of the clearing and back onto the worn path when a gunshot rang out onto the still air. Alice watched in horror as A.J.'s body flinched forward and blood bubbled out of the back of her shoulder; her body crumpling on the ground.

"RUN! ALICE, RUN! GO.....find the others!" Alice froze in her tracks not understanding what she should do next. "DO IT NOW!! THE OTHERS WILL BE THERE...GET ME HELP!" She sensed her Johnny near and knew it may be her only chance.

Determined to no longer be the scared victim she sprinted with renewed strength to locate help for her fallen rescuer. She might not be able to fight off the latest attacker but she could DAMN sure bring back the Calvary.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The dampness of the hidden cave made it even harder for to keep Dixie warm; her normally vibrant skin held a stark white pallor that was frightening her charges. She was desperately trying to remain conscious, as a RN working in the Emergency Department she knew that it was her link to life itself. The crushing pain in her chest had been lightened by the syringe that was allowing the release of the pressure of air building up with its cavity.

She was swaddled in the thermal blankets that were in each first aid kit that had been brought along on the trip. She felt a huge burden, not so much because of her own condition but because she was failing the ones that depended on her. Alice had been left behind, since she had been no where in sight it was a good possibility that she had been accosted by one of their stalkers. A.J. should have joined them a long time ago, so something must have happened to her also. How could she help them in her condition? What would happen if their position was discovered? What chance did they have of finding their lost friends in time?

Joanne shifted her legs into a yet another position, in order to stave off the tingling numbness that was creeping across her nerve endings. As she did this every few minutes, her hand never left Dixie's chest. Her hands were now coated in her friend's bright red blood. Her only relief is that the top coat was no longer continuously slick; it was now coagulating becoming cakey as it dried to her own skin. She was beside herself thinking of her best friend, she was out there unprotected. She knew that she could take care of herself but there were at least four of them and only one of her, which wasn't great odds.

A.J. was the strongest woman that she had ever known but she was still human and could be hurt or killed the same as anyone else. These men obviously had no respect for human life in general much less women. She was sure that they weren't beyond taking whatever they wanted; including what should only be given out of love. She honestly couldn't convince herself that A.J. would ever recover if something like that happened again.

Then she felt shame for not concentrating on the fact that Alice was also missing. She disappeared either right before or during the shooting. So what in GOD's name happened to her? Was she simply lost, running in terror? Or had she been taken by those they feared the most? Was she dead or perhaps worse? To keep herself from having a complete meltdown she focused on the patient before her and praying that this never ending horror movie would have a happy ending.

Emily and Sandy sat huddling together, attempting to give each other some level of warmth. Even if they somehow could ignite a small fire despite the damp misty conditions, it would possibly alert the bad guys to their location. Neither woman could even begin to process what they had been through; nothing in their lives before this could compare to the emotions and physical stress they were enduring.

"She is going to die, isn't she?" Sandy whispered in her friend's ear. Like Alice she had never really known any of these women all that well before they set out to spend some time in the great outdoors.

"NO! I don't want you to even think like that! You heard A.J. before....she said that help was coming....and....and....I believe her..." Emily made sure to steady her voice so it wouldn't betray her own feelings of despair.

"Yeah, well where is she now? First Alice disappears, then A.J. never shows up, on top of it all Dixie is practically bleeding to death!" Sandy emphasized with facial expression rather then volume.

"Sandy!" The tightness in her voice instantly made the other woman look directly into her eyes. "I know that you are scared, believe me we ALL are but you can NOT give up hope now! What would Chet do if he knew that you didn't have enough faith in him?"

"What are you talking about?" Sandy voice became bitter as anger rose to the upper levels of her emotions. "I could never not have faith in him!"

"Then you have to stop thinking the worst and focus on what you are going to do when we get out of here! If we begin to doubt ourselves or our loved ones then it's game over!" Emily was just about at the breaking point herself.

Then she stopped herself and took a deep breath; her voice softening again, "Do you love him?"

"Yes....I do...." A lesson she learned today was not to hold back letting someone know what they mean to you.

"Then as a fireman's girl you are going to have to put your faith in him and the ones that he works with. Every shift they work has danger and other things that I try not to dwell on because I have faith in Hank and his desire to come back home at the end of that shift." She took her hands and cupped them on either side of Sandy's cheek. "So have faith that they are going to find us soon."

Gazing into Emily's eyes she felt a huge burden lift off of her spirit, which made no sense to her because their situation had not changed at all, although they hadn't changed for the worse either; at least not yet. She already knew that they had all connected in a way that would bond them forever.

Sandy was about to respond back to her when Emily squeezed her hand so hard that it hurt. "Do you see that?" Noting the blank stare on her friend's face she continued, "There are two men standing in front of the entrance!" Her volume was barely audible, out of necessity and terror.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Emily and Sandy sat motionless afraid to move a muscle and risk being noticed by the figures standing only a few feet in front of them, separated only by the cascading water. Neither one of them could not identify the men before them; the silhouettes were shimmered by the falling waters.

"Jo....Jo!!" Emily whispered as loud as she dared to. She very slowly moved her face towards the rear of the cave. "There are two people out there!" She motioned slightly with her head.

At the phrase 'someone is out there', Joanne's head snapped around towards her friends sitting a short distance away from her. "WHAT? Who is it?" She didn't know what to do, the only two among them with any kind of experience were either not here or incapacitated.

"I can't tell if they are men or women, I can't see through the water fall!" Emily mouthed quietly to her friend.

As the women sat there unmoving and uncertain what to do next they heard a booming voice call out. "Can anyone hear me? Dixie, A.J., can anyone hear me?"

Even with her mind sluggish because of the blood lose Dixie instantly recognized the deep baritone voice. "It's alright, that's Kel!" She attempted to shout it out as a declaration but her efforts on produced a hoarse whispered accompanied by painful coughing.

One of the men spun around, now facing the falling waters; he heard the weak voice calling in the distance. Despite the roar of the falls and he had also picked up on a wet hacking cough, making his blood run cold. "Dixie!" Despite everything he recognized the voice of his love.

"Joe! It's her! I heard Dixie's calling out!" Kel could hardly contain himself, his emotions and adrenaline now kicked into high gear once again. His joy was being overtaken by his need to track down and locate the source. His years of experience in emergency medicine told him that she was running out of time; a feeling of panic was threatening to overcome him.

"Where, Kel? Where is it coming from?" Joe frowned scanning their surroundings. The ledge they were standing on was just wide enough for one way traffic; all around them were dense tree lines and outcroppings.

"I don't know Joe...." Kel nearly jumped out of his skin when a something wet and cold grabbed him on the shoulder.

"OH MY GOD!" He shrieked. He twisted his torso and saw that it was a woman's hand; as it retracted he looked on with shock that it retreated back from behind the crashing water.

Then to Joe's right a young woman's face appeared out of nowhere, one that was not familiar to him. In a few moments Kel also noticed the wide eyed woman. She was motioning for them to follow her lead; he ascended the narrow ledge towards the woman who was taking him to his Dixie.

Before joining them Joe grabbed his radio and made the announcement that all of the searchers had been eagerly awaiting. "To all search teams....we have located them! Listen closely for the coordinates..." He kept his voice level, not wanting to give any details, for all he knew they were not all together on the other side of the water, in fact he knew that at least one of them wasn't. His own gut instinct told him he wouldn't find his niece once he went inside.

Even so, it was better for them to regroup here, and take the steps to get medical help and a speedy route off of this mountain. Before they had arrived on the mountain and started their search Joe and Kel had both inquired what frequencies were on their borrowed radios. This park was on the northern tip of both Los Angeles County and the coverage area of Rampart General. He of course knew the dispatch frequency of the County's helicopters that they used for Evacuation units in incidents that occurred in the rugged, rural terrain that made up a large portion of the County. What he needed to know now was how many patients were there and what conditions they were in, only then would he know how many choppers to ask for.

He was debating on whether or not he should stay outside and wait for the others, including the Sheriff and the FBI Agent or go inside and see what he could do to help. His decision was made when his friend's frantic voice bellowed from within the cave. "JOE! GET IN HERE.....I NEED YOU NOW!"

Joe scrambled up the same ledge he had seen his friend climb, then he slid he way behind the rushing waters. Once inside it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the interior of the natural cave. Without having to ask the same woman as before walked past him and positioned herself where she could better see anyone approaching, so that the rest of the rescuers could more easily locate them.

He followed the sound of erratic, labored breathing to the opposite end of the room. His face contorted in disbelief and horror as he drank in the sight before him, one of his best friends leaned up against a damp rock wall with blood covering her front. A woman he recognized as Roy's wife was beside her.

Joanne's blood soaked hands were still applying pressure to the source of the bleeding as Kel was doing his assessment on his fallen lover. He rushed over and took the place of the exhausted woman.

"Joanne, let me take over now...." He gently pushed her obviously cramped hands aside. He could see the physical toll that the ordeal had had on her as well. The side of her face was crusted with old, crusted blood and her eyes had dark circles encircling them.

Joanne obeyed, grateful for the rest break; her legs and arms were in agreement on one detail and they were in full protest mode. Although she was disappointed that Roy wasn't among the first of the rescuers there; she was more than happy to see any of the rescuers.

Kel looked down at Dixie with a tornado of emotions swirling in his head, joy at finally finding her, fear that it would all be in vain if they couldn't get her to Rampart and repair the damage the bullet had done, and rage at the man who had done this to her. Right now there was not much more that he could do for her.

Her eyes were closed and so far she hadn't responded to their verbal commands to open her eyes or the physical stimuli when Kel had rubbed his knuckles against her already bruised sternum. Her body was telling her brain to allow it to rest, to go to sleep. Her brain was trying with all it's might to convince itself to stay awake. The debate was won when she remembered that it was Kel's voice that she had heard calling out to her.

"Kel?" The question was barely heard by her lover and was hoarse and weak.

His eyes drifted back towards her face when he thought he heard her response. Then he witnessed her eyes flutter open briefly again as she repeated the question.

"Dix? Hey Baby, can you hear me?" He pleaded to her.

"You found me....I told them you would....." Her words fading as she ran out of energy just trying to explain what she was thinking.

"You bet I did! Dix, hey stay awake for me, alright? Joe is right here beside me....show some of that feminine strength...." He was watching to see if she was still conscious.

"Dixie...I'm right here holding your other hand. Can you squeeze it for me?" He waited for a moment of two and was awarded by her fingers flexed ever so slowing and slightly around his broad hand. "That's it my dear...you hang on..."

Joe was more than nervous about not only her condition but the fact that his fears were confirmed when he didn't see his precious niece anywhere in the cave. He had learned to always trust his 'gut' and right now it was telling him that the nightmare was over just yet.

Since each two man team had only been a less than a quarter mile apart through the entire time it didn't take long for most of them to encounter each other on the way to the coordinates supplied by Joe Early. When the long awaited message came across the radio waves, the adrenaline began to actively pump through each of their cardiovascular systems once again.

The first to arrive at the given coordinates was Morton and Brice, together they were making a good team. They both realized that the other really didn't want to carry on any real conversation so it was working out well.

"Did you hear Joe say that they were all together?" Morton finally broke the silence.

"No, he just said women...that could be interrupted either way I guess...." Brice responded hesitantly. To his surprise he hadn't questioned that fact before his partner brought it to his attention.

Morton didn't have time to respond before he scanned their surroundings and spotted a woman standing on an outcropping above them. She seemed startled at first and then relaxed slightly, motioning towards where she was standing, in what appeared to be an entrance to something.

"That's Sandy....she Chet's girlfriend." Brice state matter of factly. He remembered her from one of the cook outs that Wolfie had held at her home. He smiled inwardly thinking of his full time partner; she always made sure to include him in any gatherings she arranged or sometimes just to have dinner with her and Gage. Although on more than one occasion the dinner invite had an ulterior motive; so she could introduce him to a 'friend' of hers.

"Brice can you keep watch out here? I am going to go inside to see if I can help with anything." Morton didn't share that he picked up on the tone of Joe's voice over the radio, something that made him believe that his services were needed.

"No problem Mike...I'll keep a look out for the others...or for anyone else that might come this way." Brice's tone hadn't changed but the fatigue and frustration of the events of the last few days had surfaced in him uncharacteristically calling the doctor by his first name. Part of him wanted the predators to even try and do anything now, he would relish the chance to take them down.

Morton had easily climbed towards the young woman and followed her into the dimly lit cave. At first all he saw was his two co-workers kneeling with their backs turned towards him. As he continued his approach he saw the ailing nurse propped up against the wall.

"DIX! Oh GOD, what happened to her?!" He frantically asked as he scanned over her still body. The large stain of blood told him it was most likely a gunshot or stabbing wound.

"She's been hit in the lower right chest; her right lung is partially collapsed, although the syringe is helping to keep it somewhat inflated." Kel grimly reported, right now he wanted to be Superman and gather her up in his arms and fly her straight to Rampart.

Joe continued to update his fellow doctor with her vitals and current condition for a few minutes and the three of them discussed what else could be done at this point; which was nothing more than trying to keep her as comfortable as possible.

Sandy spotted the six other men walking down the trail together, which finally gave her some hope that this would finally be over. She didn't recognize two of them but did catch the badge on the one man's upper left chest.

"HEY! The others are here!" She sounded almost giddy.

Outside along the trail the first two men were joined by the others except for Johnny and Roy, including the Sheriff and the F.B.I. agent. They all gathered at the base of the waterfall when they saw Brice flagging them down.

The questions and comments were flying so fast and furious at Brice that it was impossible for him to even differentiate between any of the voices that were demanding information. The energy in the crowd was innocently coming across more like a mob than concerned search party; as their emotions got the better of them.

"EVERYONE BE QUIET!!" The bellowing voice of stocky Sheriff silenced the frenzied bunch. "Alright, now we aren't going to get anywhere if we don't remain calm! I understand how worried you are and how much you want to see your loved ones but running this poor man over isn't going to accomplish that!"

He understood completely what these men were feeling; he didn't want to imagine what he would do if he wife was ever on the run for her life and him no being able to save her. He glanced over at the F.B.I. Agent and saw a look of respect and admiration that he was able to get through to the group.

The faces of the men went from outrage to compliance knowing that what the Sheriff said was true. They were still uneasy but now the questions came in more of an orderly fashion.

"Where are they? Are they alright?" Hank managed to get his questions heard first, all while searching for any sight of his missing wife.

"Inside the cave....." was the only words Brice could get out when a cries echoed from above them.

"Hank! Chet! We're here!" Two voices screamed the names of their heroes, as they all but leapt from the rocky ledge above.

The women slammed into the chests of the two men as they flung their arms around them, never wanting to let go. For a few moments everyone seemed to be in shock, not reacting to the changing situation.

"Oh Darling! I have never been so happy to see you! I knew you would find me!" Emily's voice warbled from the mixture or joy and relief. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder wanting to melt into his very being and never be separated again.

"Em? Oh GOD are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Hank pulled his wife away from him just long enough to scan her for any injuries. She had a large ugly bruise on her forehand, along with nasty but minor scratches and cuts on her face and arms.

At the same time Chet was asking the same of his girlfriend as she clung to him for dear life. So far with the exception of calling his name she had remained silent, afraid that if she spoke the mirage would disappear.

"Baby? Baby can you hear me?" He gently shook her by the arms trying to get a response. He noted that she also had a large bruise but it was on the right corner of her forehead and extended down the side of her angular face. Physically she seemed be to fair off; her was her mental state he was more concerned with at the moment.

Sandy was so cold, Chet's body heat was soothing but she couldn't shake the fear that this was just some kind of hallucination and that her dream hadn't come true after all. She just wanted him to take her away and never let her out of his embrace.

"JO? Joanne...where is Joanne?" Came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned to see Roy and Johnny almost literally flying down the trail towards the large crowd. He had spotted the two women and was searching for his wife of seven years.

Gage however never called out for his Tehila because he already knew she wasn't there; her mind was still calling out to him. Only now he sensed fear, not for her friends but for herself. The sympathetic physical pain he had been experiencing was intensifying and it had changed from his hands to a stabbing, radiating sensation in his shoulder and chest.

"Roy! OH GOD, is that you?" Joanne's haggard face was wet and streaked with old and new tears as she allowed herself to be swallowed by his muscular arms.

"Yes, it's me Sweetie, it's me! Are you alright?" He couldn't think of anything else to say but busied himself with immediately examining the large, gaping gash on the right side of her face; layers of coagulated blood streaking down her petite face. Even though he was caught up in his own rejoicing he noticed the lack of enthusiasm coming from his partner.

"Where's Alice?" The question was a perfectly natural one and Mike asked it hoping for a good, uplifting answer, though he already knew that one would not be forthcoming.

The look on the women's face's made him want to vomit, not only wasn't she or A.J. here, there obviously something else they had not been told. All three of them stared at each other realizing that in the midst of their relief they had failed to remember their friend's plight; each of their faces showing the guilt they felt for their oversight.

Marco's concern now lay more with Gage than any of his other co-workers at the moment. He also shared his dread, although he cared what happened to all of the women he had his own personal connection with Wolfie. He had never been such good friends with any woman, much less one that was also part of his second family in the fire service. Now watching him he knew the fate of both her and Alice still hang in the balance.

Finally speaking up Sandy responded, "We got split up after they started shooting at us! We thought that she had made a run for it! We haven't seen her since then!" She started screaming no longer being able to suppress the hysteria any longer. Chet could only wrap his arms more tightly around her and the sobbing became a bit quieter.

"Shooting at you?! Was anyone hit?" Johnny fired off the questions only now realizing that Dixie wasn't anywhere to be seen, nor where the doctors.

"When did you last see A.J.? Was it before the shooting?" He desperately needed information that was going to help him locate the love of his life and stop her pain.

Once again Brice began to speak, "Dixie's inside with the three doctors; she has a bullet wound in her chest, it's quite serious." He stopped trying to control his emotions but be damned if he was going to cry.

Roy and Johnny felt the blood drain from their faces, upon hearing the news. Dixie was far more than just the head nurse of the Emergency Department, she was a good friend they had grown quite found of over the years.

Interrupting the conversation the F.B.I. Agent finally interjected some questions of his own; his main concern was the apprehension of the dirt bags that caused all of this mess. "How many of them are there? Are any of them wounded?"

"There were four all together...then we built this set of booby traps. I don't if they got caught up in any of them or not. A.J. made us go a head and she stayed behind to lure them towards the traps. We haven't seen her since....." Joanne had pulled herself away from Roy, now leaning with her back against him.

"When John and I came through that way we saw one man in the bottom of a deep pit, dead." Roy would have loved to see all of them in the same state of being, keeping in mind that left three more maniacs to deal with.

Gage turned his back on the others as if he noticed something that none of them had, the rustling of leaves caught his attention. The attention of the others had been drawn to the same spot when they saw a slender figure sprinting in their direction, screaming at the top her lungs.

"HELP! HELP! HELP!!! Please you have to help her!" Alice's mind had temporarily forgotten the ebbing pain throughout her body. She ran directly into Johnny's arms, glancing up at him a look of panic etched on her dirt streaked face.

"Where is she?" Was the only question he asked of her.

"He was going to rape me! I couldn't stop him, he was on top of me!" Gage transferred her over the steady embrace of Mike. After everything that had happened, right now she could care less who knew the horrible details.

"She SAVED me! They shot her! She's all alone.....please help her!!" She screamed over and over again, pleading with the men that surrounded her.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"PLEASE...they'll kill her! She SAVED ME! There was so much blood! She's all alone! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE? GO AFTER HER!" Alice lashed out at the men surrounding her, as she struggled against the embrace of her boyfriend.

She flung herself back towards Gage, her eyes wild with hysteria. It was if time had slowed down to tortoise speed; everyone seemed to be staring at her as if she were speaking a language other than English. The imminent death that her friend was suffering was not her greatest fear. She now knew that A.J. truly did understand her; the panic of not being able to protect herself, the fear of intimacy and trusting anyone with her dark secret. That very understanding brought another source of trepidation for her friend. What would happen if she could no longer defend herself from being assaulted in that most horrible way?

"Johnny please.....don't you understand....if they touch her....you know it will kill her just as surety as the bullet wound might...." She was now suddenly calm as she peered into his eyes; into the soul of the man that stood in front of her. She could see his love and devotion for A.J. and how desperately he wanted to protect her from the world. She recognized it because she had seen the same vision when she gazed into Mike's eyes.

"Where is she? How long did you run before you got here?" Roy gently inquired while Gage held the gaze of the battered woman. His arms still wrapped around his wife. He was torn between relief to have her in them and fear for his adopted sister. He wanted to go with Johnny to find her but wasn't going to leave Joanne in her time of need either.

"I don't know! I wasn't paying attention! I just ran here as fast as I could!" Alice's voice was rising; her mind building into frenzy once again.

Mike spun her around and gingerly took her bruised face into his strong hands. "Hon! Look at me! Alright, now take a deep, slow breath....you can do this...now focus....where were you when A.J. stopped him from hurting you?"

He was using all of his restraint not to go off on a rampage, not because of anything that she was doing but because of what had been done to her; both now and in her secretive past. He felt like a failure, unable to save the ones he loved and cared for. Alice had been a wonderful surprise in his quiet life and A.J. was part of the 'brotherhood'; part of his extended family.

"Just off the trail, where he grabbed then dragged me into a small clearing...." She was mesmerized by the dark brown eyes of her anchor, they held no recrimination; only love, understanding and pain of his own. She could also see the muscles in his jaw twitching as he gathered her back into his protective embrace.

"OH GOD! That's in the same spot where Dixie got shot!" Sandy sunk back into Chet's arms with the realization that Alice had never left area that they had fled from; they had left her there defenseless and alone.

"Where is that? How far away? In what direction?" The Agent spoke up for the first time with questions that he hoped would lead to arresting these dirt bags. As of now only one woman was currently at risk but he knew that the some of the firemen were going to more than insist on going to rescue her; he would do the same in their shoes.

"We were coming from the other end of the trail; trying to get here to the safety of the cave until you guys got here....A.J. told us that help was near...she said she could feel that Johnny was close...." Emily said in almost a whisper as she relived the drama, knowing now that her friend was had purposefully put herself at greater risk to secure their safety.

"So you never left the trail?" Hank silently calculated the direction and distance that she could have run in only a short period of time. The sun was now far into it's decent towards it's western destination.

"NO! She told us to head back to the tallest waterfall! That's what I did! OH GOD, PLEASE GO FIND HER!" It seemed like hours since she had sprinted to go for help.

"The man that hurt you....what happened to him?" Chet voiced what the others were wondering. Was A.J. now alone with the man that tried to rape Alice?

"She killed him! Then when we were walking away to meet the others one of them shot her! I don't know if only one of them were shooting...she told me to run and get help...PLEASE SHE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH TIME!" Suddenly she stopped screaming, her body now giving into shock and fatigue.

With out even glancing in his partner's direction Roy knew that what Johnny was going to do next. He knew nothing anyone could say or do would change his mind; there would be no waiting for any back up from other Rangers or the State Police. He felt guilty for not being able to be there by his side, watching his back.

The three doctors emerged from the cave with their patient. While the others were devising a plan on where to find and how to save A.J. Joe had once again contacted County and requested a chopper to meet them at a clearing that was only a dozen or so yards from where the team had reunited with most of the missing party. Between the first aid kits that had been brought along and the supplies that the doctors had brought with them they were able to provide all of the care that a team of paramedics with a squad would have been to accomplish.

He communicated to them that they had one critical patient and several other more minor injuries to transport. He prayed that his niece would not require such care but for now it was more vital to get his friend into surgery as soon as humanly possible. He was ferociously debating with himself as to whether he should stay or go along with the chopper. Kel and Mike could easily give Dixie any immediate treatment along the way; as well as taking care of the other women on the way in.

She had been strapped to a back board and tied into a Stokes Basket that the men had humped in with the rest of the gear they had brought. The easiest and safest way to move her would be for at least three other men to accompany them to the EVAC Chopper. This way it would be more to carry the load to prevent her IV's for displacing and to not exasperate any of her wounds.

"Dixie...baby can you hear me?" Kel leaned close to her ghostly pale face. Her expertly shadowed eyes didn't register his request; the usual soft, smooth skin of her face was now creased with pain even in her unconscious state. Her breathing was now nearing non existent, her pulse nearly at two hundred as her body was desperately attempting to compensate for the critical drop in blood pressure.

"Kel we have to go now...look the chopper is going to be landing in a few more minutes...." Morton was doing his best to be the level headed rational one of them. It wasn't easy, contrary to popular belief he was quite fond of the head nurse and the department's only female rescue paramedic.

"I know Mike....GOD I don't know what I will do if she doesn't....." He couldn't bear to finish vocalizing his worse fears. He was regretting every time where he shied away from taking their relationship to the next level. She was the only women in his entire life who truly got to know the real him and sometimes that scared the Hell out of him.

"KEL! That kind of thinking isn't going to help her!" Morton walked over and grabbed the older man's shoulders. "We didn't get this far by giving up! Now, we are going to get her on that chopper and then to Rampart. Dr. Timmer is one duty and you know that he is one of the best surgeons we have!! If you give up then she will too!" Morton was not known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, so his outburst shook Kel out of his darkening mind set.

"You're right Mike....you're right! The worse is over, now she'll get the help that she needs!" When he saw Joe walk up his stressed mind switched back to the reality that one of his dearest friends was still missing.

"Joe, do they have any idea where A.J. is?" The question was simple and both him and Morton were confused by the expression of horror and defeat that was written on their mentor's face.

Dr. Early felt as though his world was in a downward spiral that would never end. He had overheard the others talking when he left the cave to call for the chopper. The news took his breath away as he contemplated the disturbing information; his niece was possibly critically injured and alone with at least one of the monsters that had put Dixie at death's door; one of the same beasts who had tried to rape one of the other women.

He had treated enough victims of sexual assault to have a clue as to what they went through during and after the attack. Now since learning what had changed her once all trusting personality, he realized what she had gone through in the years since and what living through it again would do to her present.

"Joe....are you alright?" Morton could see the fair skinned doctor's face was ashen, devote of virtually any color. "What is it? Do they know what happened to her?" Mike was almost afraid to ask, fearing the answer might forever change his world.

"Alice...one of them was going to rape her.....A.J. stopped them....before they could get away...." Joe took a deep breath trying to focus his mind or else he couldn't help either one of them. "She's been shot....she's still out there with at least one of those sons of bitches......" His voice was devoid of emotion but inside he was falling apart; picturing the faces of her parents when he informed them as to what had happened to their daughter.

Kel and Mike stood there beside each other their mouths gaping open as they absorbed the information Joe had supplied; both of them were simultaneously praying for protection over their friend and for the end of this ghoulish nightmare.

Breaking his silence Mike was the first to speak up. "Alright....now this is what we are going to do. Joe, you stay here and do whatever needs to be done. I'll go with Kel and we'll take the other women and their men." He walked over and stood in front of his friend. "When you find her, she's going to need medical attention. Gage can treat her but he'll need you help."

The winds signally the copter's final dissent to the open area amongst the plentiful trees. The pilot was hurriedly motioning to them to bring the patient and load her up. Kel took one more look at his lover and moved to tell his oldest friend to get gather the others.

Saying 'Thank you' with his eyes rather then his words Joe turned and sprinted back to the rest of the group. His stride was long as his legs carried his achingly tired body towards the others.

His years of experience and training took over as he explained the situation to everyone else. "Now listen up! We need to get everyone on the chopper; all of the ladies and we need a few other men to help carry Dixie out of here!" He raised the volume in his voice so he would be heard over top of the copter's engines.

As Hank, Chet, Roy and Mike began guiding their significant others towards the aircraft Joanne stopped in her tracks and turned towards her husband. She made contact with his loving and loyal blue eyes; darkened with stress and worry. She could read that he was fighting a civil war with in himself.

"Roy, you stay here with Johnny!" She moved with in inches of his face to make certain that he heard what she was saying.

"Jo....I don't want to leave you! You need me right now.....Johnny can take care of himself..." He was hoping that he sounded more convincing to her than he did to himself.

"I do need you! Right now A.J. and Johnny need you more!" She took her battered hands and placed them on either side of his face. "You have to help him save her! I owe her my life...with out her and Dixie you would be out here retrieving out bodies..."

Roy's body involuntarily shivered at the mental image that flashed through his mind of his wife's bloodied body being sprawled out on the mountain side; their future shattered by her gruesome death. Her selflessness reminded him of how blessed he was to have her in his life.

"OK, you win! We will find her! When this is all over we are going to throw one humongous party! Everyone can come over and we can all be together as one big happy family!" His attempt to sound hopeful and positive about the outcome of their search was failing; he was still torn over staying behind and leaving her in this fragile state.

Roy wrapped his wife into an all consuming bear hug and then shooed her towards to large transport. She leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss. "Roy don't you take any chances! You find her and then promise me that you'll be on the next helicopter!!" Once again looking into his blue eyes, she leaned into his embrace, then pulled herself back and started walking to the helicopter.

He watched her walk away and made a silently made a promise to her and his children that he would see them again soon. The effects of the last few days was evident by her hobbling towards the large aircraft.

As he approached the rest of the original search team he could hear the argument ensuing. The Sheriff had remained behind to head up the team to locate the missing paramedic and apprehend the two fugitives.

The rest of you should stay here and wait for the State Police to get here! I made a huge gamble just allowing you to be a part of this so far!" The law officer was getting more upset by the second.

"Now you listen to me! Tehila is waiting for me to find her! There is nothing that you can say that is going to make me change my mind! It took too many years for me to find her and I sure as Hell am not going to lose her now!" Johnny took a deep breath and unclenched his teeth and flexed his hands in order to keep from decking the guy.

The others looked confused by the name that Johnny called his fiancée. The slip up was another signal to Roy that his brother was about to go over the edge. He rarely used his Lakota nickname for her even in front of him or his family and never did in front of anyone else.

"Johnny....she needs you to stay calm....nothing is going to stop us from finding her!" Roy put his arm around his shoulders in agreement.

Gage did a double take as he heard his partner's words and felt his presence. He had assumed that he had joined most of the others on the now in flight chopper. "ROY! WHAT are you doing HERE?!"

"What did you think that I would let you have all the fun kicking ass and taking names?" A wicked, dangerous smile now occupied the red haired man's lips.

"But what about Joanne? You should be with her right now!" As grateful as he was to see his long time friend he could fathom what would motive him to leave his wife alone right now.

"It was her idea! She made me promise to stay here and help you." Their eyes met and Gage voicelessly expressed his appreciation.

"Well then, let's get moving! We don't have all that much time before the sunset and then we are screwed!" The ever calm Marco responded with a combination of enthusiasm and urgency, the calm part had completely disappeared.

"Now wait a minute! Haven't you Hose Jockeys listen to anything that I have said?!! Asked with anger and frustration.

"Oh we heard you; we have chosen not to take your advice." Brice fired back at him, the stone faced facade he usually carried at been replaced hours ago.

Before the Sheriff could form a rebuttal argument Joe stepped up to him, virtually right up in his face. "In case you didn't hear my soon to be nephew clearly, I'll repeat it one more time.... We ARE walking down this direction towards where she was last seen. The only way you are going to stop us is to shoot us all...."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

_*This chapter had more examples of violence then other chapters.* _

Derek held his arms out in front of him bracing as he took aim and fired at the women walking from the clearing; leaving Burt's broken body in their wake. He could care less that the S.O.B was dead, that wasn't the point. He had the share of his money and that would be enough for him and Danny to flee down to Mexico and live a life free from U.S. authorities and their peach of a maternal unit.

In order to make that a reality, there could be no one left to identify either of them, besides he owed the Half Breed for leaving Danny trapped in the tree. When he had managed to climb his way out of the deep trench he had located his younger brother and cut him down. He glanced over at Danny and noted that he was still shaking from the ordeal; he had been terrified that his big brother was dead and that he was going to end up in prison or worse back with his mother.

The shot rang out but was surprisingly muffled by the dense foliage. He was more than gratified to see the Red Head fall forward to the ground but disappointed that the other one ran off before he could aim again. Danny was in another world, so the only thing that was left was for him to finish off the Half Breed and then go find the other women.

Although she didn't realize exactly what was about to happen A.J. did know that they were still in peril; which is why she was urging Alice to move as quickly as her bruised and beaten body could muster. The feeling of that urgency came to a head just before a familiar sound reverberated amongst the thick canopy of leaves.

The bullet tore into the back of her shoulder creating a searing sensation to flow through her entire torso. Involuntarily her body crashed onto the rock and root littered ground; not giving her even an extra second to turn to absorb any of the impact. As she fell she yelled to Alice to take off and go for help; there was nothing she could in the situation to be of any real help. Neither one of them had a gun to return fire thus creating an uneven playing field.

Even as she fought to suppress her body's automatic response pain the other part of her brain honed in onto him; the one she knew could save her. Johnny was so very close now; in her mind's eye she could see him coming to rescue her. His presence also told her that the others were now safe and secure; receiving the medical attention that at least one of them so desperately needed, which was the only silver lining at this moment in time. She had done her sworn duty and made sure they would all go home.

She gathered herself together, finally getting to her knees in order to make her body move towards relative safety and a better defensive position. The only weapons at her disposal required that her enemy be in a closer proximately. Even in her weakened injured state she was far from a helpless damsel in distress.

Derek didn't have to possess Special Forces training to not make the same mistake as his now deceased partners; he sprinted towards his preys back before she could regain her footing. Using all of his strength he slammed into her petite frame forcing her down on her knees once again. He didn't even notice when his gun spun away from his waist band as he began wrestling with his latest victim.

He took full advantage of his body weight and size as he followed through with a right cross; her slender face bloodied as his callused knuckles made impact; her body crumpling once again. As her ribs connected with a sharp rock she cried out in pain, unable to stop him from leaping onto her, pinning her to the ground. He continued to struggle to keep her on the ground, despite the fact that he clearly had the extra muscle mass to use as leverage.

She was in full defensive mode as she grappled with the much larger man on the soil and stones that dug into both of their bodies. Memories of a time so long ago were playing like a movie in her mind, only this time she wasn't a helpless teenager; then again she hadn't been dehydrated and wounded then either. The difference between then and now was that this man had every intention of killing her after he satisfied himself at her expense. She could feel his ever growing excitement as he brushed up against her body.

With another well timed blow to her abdomen Derek was able to regain control of his target. Now he was on top of her, his long legs straddling hers. His torso stretched out so he could use his hands to pin her arms to the ground. His pelvis aligned with hers; putting him in the perfect position to start to punish her.

She could barely catch her breath after he landed a solid fist into the map of bruises that already covered her midsection. The mere seconds that it took for her to recover allowed him to place her right where he wanted. The clothing between them was the only thing saving her momentarily and she knew that reprieve would be short lived.

The mixture of pain, desperation and terror were beginning to overwhelm her; her mind was reeling and slowing pulling away, going to a place where she wasn't going to be violated again for the second time in her short life. She had used nearly all of her spiritual and psychological reserves when it happened before and everything in her being told her that she simply couldn't live through it again.

He was feeling very smug and superior believing that he was about to accomplish was the other two had not; breaking the Half Breed then permanently taking her out of the equation. Forcing her arms together above her head he then transferred both of them into one of his large hands, gripping them so tightly that it forced another cry from her lips. He then allowed the opposite hand to fondle her curves on the way down to her low rise jeans, raising himself slightly to unzip and lower them.

Then in a moment of clarity she felt a surge of power and strength flow through her; Johnny's essence was connecting with hers, begging her not to give in and leave him alone in this world. In that instant she felt his love willing her to fight him off for just a little while longer. Her instincts and training came racing back as she felt him shift his weight giving her the opportunity that she needed.

As he lifted his hips off of hers his chest and face lowered to with in inches of her face, giving her the opening that she was looking for. In an instant she thrust her head forward towards his face, impacting straight across the bridge of his nose. He yelped out in equal amounts of surprise and pain, almost literally jumping off of her even before she landed a knee into his groin. He rolled off of her; his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he tried to not black out.

Her elation was short lived, before she could get to her feet she was taken off guard by something encircling her neck and pulling tight, taking her breath away. She struggled to get free as the rope cut into her flesh, which was in vain as a knee was placed between her shoulder blades as she was pushed forward to the ground. Black spots appeared in her field of vision as oxygen was no longer supplying vital brain function.

Danny had finally gotten the courage to look out from his hiding place to see what Derek was doing to the bitch that left him hanging in the tree. He watched with glee and satisfaction was his big brother showed her no mercy, beating her down until she would soon be begging for her life. She was finally getting what she so richly deserved.

Then in the next moments he saw Derek in dire trouble as somehow she was gaining the upper hand once again. He knew that for once in his life he had to protect his older brother the way he had always done for him. He opened up his own back pack and pulled out a length of rope and ran into the clearing to end this thing once and for all.

A.J. knew that she only had a few more seconds before she would leave this plane of existence forever. She was at a disadvantage; he had all of the leverage. She continued thrashing side to side, using her one hand to try and protect her airway by pulling down sharply on the rope around her neck. With the other one she found the top of her knee high moccasin and withdrew one of the knives that she always keep on herself.

Derek's vision was slowly clearing and he had finally stopped rolling around on the ground writhing in agony. He finally noticed that his little brother had taken up the cause and was choking out the Half Breed. He was beginning to sit upright when he saw the glean of the knife that she removed from her boot. He was over two hundred feet away from them when he sprang to his feet screaming his brother's name.

"Danny! Danny...look out, she's got a knife!" His words exited his mouth too little too late as Danny's eyes widened and blood began spurting out of his neck like a geyser.

In one last ditch effort A.J. had grasped the knife and brought it back behind her head aiming for the vulnerable spot on her attacker. She used every ounce of strength she had left to jam it hard and deep into his neck, then rotating the blade as it went in.

The only thing he felt was a brief, sharp sensation, not even understanding that he had only seconds to live as his life forced drained from the gaping slash in his neck. His last sight was of his Derek running towards him with a look of horror written on his face. His last thoughts were happiness that his brother really did love him and that at least now their mother could never hurt him again.

As the rope loosened its grip around her neck the oxygen once again began to flood her starved brain. She began to violently cough; her throat trying to clear the irritation and resume a normal breathing pattern. The band of shredded flesh around her neck brought a new physical pulsating pain that was currently overriding the other injuries including the ones on her feminine hands. The pain temporarily disappeared as her world abruptly went black.

Derek stood over her with his gun in hand; cursing himself for not finishing off the bitch when he had the chance. Now Danny was dead, the only human being in this world that he actually gave a damn about. She was laying front of him out cold and at his mercy; the butt of his gun polluted by the Half Breed's blood. Putting a bullet in her skull would indeed be satisfying but the need to make her suffer was more important. Danny was dead because of her and she need to pay and dearly.

He stooped over and picked her up, slinging her limp body over his broad shoulder. He still had the where for all to realize that her little friend could have located help by now and that they could arrive at any moment. So putting some distance between her wood be rescuers and himself would have to occur before he could satisfy his own desires.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

In this search the remaining men stayed closer together moving in a tight sweep staying on the trail itself and on either side of it. The hope was that if they encountered any of the men that they were after they would be afforded the element of surprise. Time was not on their side as the decent of the sun was already casting dark shadows in the already shaded areas of the forest.

It didn't take long for them to reach the area that was described by the women. The direction they were traveling was sloping down hill providing a little less physical effort on their part. Johnny and Roy were traveling on the worn pathway when they easily spotted the pattern of blood that had soaked into the arid soil.

For a few seconds the two men just stared at the sight before them, then at each other; making mental notes as to how much blood their friend would have lost even before making it to the location where they had found her. The image of a blood caked Dixie made them shiver even though the ambient air was still quite warm, even in the high elevation.

To his left Johnny picked up a distinct whistle; the one that had been assigned to Joe and the Sheriff. They had made sure to use the signal before approaching, so there would be no miscommunication as to who was coming towards them. With everyone on edge there was no room for any cases of mistaken identity.

"Johnny, any luck? Have you seen anything that helps....?" Joe stopped abruptly as his eyes glanced down towards the ground.

"Is that from the nurse or your girl?" The small town sheriff audibly gulped. In his years in law enforcement he had never dealt with Dirt Bags that were so twisted.

"It's Dixie's blood; this is where the others said that it happened...." Johnny's voice was cold and distant. He already knew that they would no longer find her in this area.

Shortly before they had made it here he had felt her panic and terror escalate to an all time high. His blood ran cold as her physical pain increased to such a degree that he almost passed out. It was feeling her give up that drove him to the brink of insanity. For a few moments he thought that everything was going to be alright; that he would find her around the next bend. Then in a flash he lost his track on her. Fearing that there was only one reason for that to happen; he couldn't bear to voice his thoughts to any of them, not even Roy.

"Johnny, we have to keep moving. We only have a couple of hours more till the sun sets. Alice said that she ran away only a short distance from here when A.J. was shot...." Roy had been staring at his brother and knew that he was 'feeling' more than he was owning up to. Long ago he had learned to read him and his body language. Normally that entailed knowing when to back Kelly down or Gage would flip his lid. Now he was keenly aware that this never ending terror had just been kicked up a notch or two; which could only mean trouble for his little sister.

Another whistle in the near distance sounded, telling the others that Marco and Brice were asking them to move towards them. As the four men left the beaten path they came onto a clearing several hundred feet off of it. The area was exactly as Alice had described it. Under normal circumstances it would have been the perfect spot to have a romantic picnic for two; now it was a grisly crime scene that lacked a victim.

Johnny moved like lightening to the spot where Dr. Early was kneeling as Marco stood over his shoulder observing the fresh pool of blood that had been partly absorbed by the dark green ground cover. Oh both of their faces were a combination of disgust, anxiety and worry.

He took position beside the doctor that he considered to be family; after all as soon as this was over and she was home they were going to nail down an exact date where he would 'officially' be his uncle too. The older man's skin was drawn tightly across his face, highlighting his own fatigue and pain.

"Joe? How much do you think this is?" He was referring to the amount that was lost and how it might relate to her possibilities of survival.

"It's at least a liter or so...she'll be very weak...but she didn't bleed out..." Joe was having flash backs to his own military service where he had been witness to so many kinds of wounds, gun shot and alike. Between that time and his years in the emergency department calculating blood loss scenarios had become second nature.

The others had circled around the area; each of them having the same reaction as the ones before them. They looked on knowing that along with the daylight, time was running out for their friend and colleague. None of them would have had to been in the emergency services to know that any loss of blood would lessen the chances of A.J. being able to defend herself against anything man or beast could throw at her.

Marco clenched his jaw, and then rubbed it when he noticed how sore it had become from that particular reflex. He felt so completely out his realm. Yes, as a firemen he aiding in more than a few searches for civilians in the mountains but never under these kinds of circumstances and not for a loved one. He had only basic medical training and right now that seemed woefully inadequate.

Brice's personality drove most of the men he worked with crazy that he already knew. He was also aware that he never really opened up to any of them; in fact his partner would be the only person in the department or in his life in general that he had done so and only on a limited basis. Now when she needed him and the rest of her family the most they were letting her down. That fact was sending him to a place so dark that it would frighten most individuals. His ability to distance himself from emergency situations was what kept him sane in his line of work and in these moments that skill was abandoning him.

Roy was on constant watch for any intruders in their area. That is when he spotted what looked like sneakers partly hidden by a patch of bushes and shrubs. With out saying a word to his comrades he slowly made his way over to the mystery. When he got close enough to get a complete view of what he had seen he called out to the others.

"HEY! OVER HERE!" His voice was loud enough to get their attention but quiet enough not to alert anyone that they didn't want informed.

Johnny and the rest of the team sprinted towards Roy not understanding what to expect by the tone in his voice. When the arrived they saw the body of what appeared to be a boy who barely could be classified as an adult. His eyes bored into theirs, open and unblinking.

Roy didn't need any of his medical training to instantly know what had ended the young man's life; the gaping hole in his neck and blood soaked shirt told the story. He noted the lack of blood pooling or splattering her where the body, which meant that he had not been killed at this spot. His eyes strained in the darken shadows to follow where the more narrow trail of blood originated.

"Johnny....look....." He walked over to the source and took in the scenery; another dark scene was unfolding before him.

His partner joined in beside him. Along with fresh patches of blood and other obvious signs of a struggle one thing stuck out to his eagle eyes. Laying amongst the tree roots, leaves and rocks were objects that took his breath away. Walking over he sank to his knees the blood draining from his face; his normal bronze tone now pale in comparison.

He gathered them up in his hands as they shook with rage, guilt and sorrow. Pulling them to his chest he closed his eyes praying to regain control of his mind and body. He didn't want to believe it; that he had so miserably failed to protect her from her worse nightmare come true.

"Johnny....hey, can you hear me?" The doctor knelt in front of him worried by the physiological response he had witnessed. It was then that they saw what he was holding near to him.

In Gage's hands was a piece of a shredded and bloodied ladies tank top and the engagement ring that he had given her. They all knew that it would have never come off her finger willingly and that she would not have parted with it for the world. Even worse was the ring itself was encrusted with fresh and dried blood, her blood.

Roy stared at his friend not having any answers. He had been witness last Christmas to what even remembering the life changing event that had left her scared to say the least. Now there was evidence that she may have once again met a fate perhaps worse than death itself.

"Junior, where is she? What do you feel now? Where should we start looking?" He knew that they only way they had even been able to find any of them was because of his best friends connection to each other; sort of a radar love.

"I don't know Roy....I can't feel her any more. What am I going to do? What if she's already.....?" He shook his head violently in an effort to clear the cob webs and hone in on the love of his life.

"NO! NOW THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!! You had better stop thinking like that! We ARE going to find her and get her through this!! You two are meant to be together, period!!!" The usual cool and calm Craig Brice spit out the words of encouragement with defiance, causing his fellow comrades to stare at him in shock and disbelief.

Joe vividly remembered when his sister first met his brother-in-law, their wedding and when they announced that she was carrying his first and closest niece. When she was born his gut told him that she was going to be anything but average. How right had he been? Her entire life she had done things that nearly everyone had told her she couldn't do; which only made her want to do it even more. That meant that this was no time to count her out.

He was the first to recover and offered up his own wisdom. "Johnny...you have to listen to me, OK? She isn't dead, I would know it and so would you. I know that you are beyond terrified right now but dig down deep. Listen to that inner voice of yours. What is it telling you now?"

"You're right Joe....she can't be dead! It's just that I can't picture her or where to look anymore! How are we going to find her now?"

"We'll think of something...." Marco was struggling to give some kind of idea as to exactly what that something might be.

The Sheriff had just witnessed yet another example of the bond that existed between the men and women he had been accompanying during this ordeal. Although he had never met this female wonder he found himself praying for her safety and life all the same. He remembered the other women saying that there were four men pursuing them, which meant that with the discovery of the latest body there was only one more Perp out there somewhere with his hostage.

"Alright Gentlemen, now I have allowed you to come along and search for your loved ones....." The men geared up for yet another fight from the law man. "We could not have gotten this far without any of you, especially you Mr. Gage."

"We know that there were most likely only four men involved in the stalking and hunting of the ladies. Three of men have gotten off easy and are deader than door nails. So that means that if she has been taken then we only have one more SOB to look for."

Johnny was now ready to once again start up the search but was still at a loss as to where to start or how to proceed. He was becoming more frantic as the seconds past and he couldn't locate her in his mind. Looking up to the Heavens for an answer to his pleas he caught the silhouette of a large black bird circling above them.

As he heard its cry he realized that it was that of the Raven. Although these birds were far from uncommon in California; this one stuck out for no logical reason. A rare happy memory from his childhood flashed in his mind of his Lakota grandmother. When he was very young she would tell him stories about the animal spirits and how they could help give you the answers that you sought.

"The Raven, nothing escapes their sight and listen to their words, they will tell you what they see, nothing is a mystery to a Raven." Her words now clicked with him and in that moment he decided to trust the instincts of his people and in the Great Spirit that created them all.

He got up off his knees and without any explanation started in the direction towards the section of the forest where it was circling, giving him direction. Johnny spared one brief second to meet the questioning eyes of his partner.

Roy didn't have to ask for a reason for Gage's behavior. He was just grateful for his apparent epiphany. He could live for another hundred years and never understand how it all worked, only more than happy that it had many times in their careers before today.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

He continued down the unmarked path heading in the opposite end of the waterfall trail. In his mind he was figuring that it was the last place the cavalry would think to look. They would think it was too risky and that he wouldn't be crazy enough to go there. The extra weight of the Broad was surprisingly a burden despite her petite frame.

He accepted it but keeping his eye on the prize; in his knapsack he had enough money to live the rest of his life on some beach in Mexico sipping margaritas. On top of that he was going to have some great fun teaching this little bitch a lesson or two before finally getting rid of her. None of the others had actually seen what he looked like, so she was the last obstacle between him and freedom.

Then again he was toying around with the idea of taking her along; after all then he would have his piece whenever he felt like it; no fuss no muss. His grin became even wider at the very thought of controlling her every move and taking tremendous delight in her suffering.

With the beating that her body had taken the swirling darkness was only a comfort; with part of her mind telling her to just sleep and to stop fighting the pain both physical and otherwise.

This loud voice was singing a soothing lullaby, "You did your job, the others are all safe.....you can let go now......" It was so very tempting to listen to that voice. She had never felt this kind of absolute, complete torment before; not even in her teenage years. It was a combination of the physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion that was clouding her judgment.

She could see nothing beyond her own humiliation; even after all this time she couldn't defend herself from another attacker. She had not kept her friends safe; one of them could be dead right now because of her own failure. In all these years she had never truly recovered from what had occurred so many years before; never opening up to anyone, allowing herself to be vulnerable in front of anyone not even family.

"Wait! NO! That isn't true! Johnny...he knows and he doesn't care! You trusted him then just as you do NOW! What is going to happen to him?" A small quiet voice had now starting shouting.

"He LOVES you! He would never give up on you! You made him a promise....you can't let him down..... Think about your family and friends; think about what you mean to them....." Her better angels began to stir something deep inside her soul. Her mind shifted first to Johnny and what it felt like to be buried in his embrace; then to her Uncle Joe, her parents and family. The expression on their faces as they attended her funeral was harder to bear than the current level of pain coursing through out her muscular body.

In another instant her mind snapped back into consciousness and once again her fight or flight mode kicked into high gear. She stayed still; forcing her body to not react to the harsh jolting as he walked with her slung across his shoulders. In her weakened physical state she had to conserve whatever energy and strength she had left. She would only get one single opportunity to stop him and timing would be everything.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not taking the time to explain himself Johnny with Roy on his heels continued to stare upwards towards the Raven and any heavenly intervention that he could find. He barely took the time to actually glance down to watch where he was going, yet his feet continued to land softly leaving no trail. His own body was tense and tired from the constant stress of physical exertion and the empathetic reactions to his fiancée own pain. Although at least for the moment he felt no of it; his urge to reestablish his connection with her was taking president.

The other men had once again spread out to cover more ground, while maintaining a tight pattern to stay in line of sight of Gage as he once again appeared to have an 'understanding' that everyone was praying would lead them to her. They were all hard pressed to keep up with his pace. Without exchanging so much as a glance between each other they seemed to be focusing on a connection of their own as the team pushed on towards the final countdown.

Roy was keeping stride with his younger partner; fueled by a similar rage as Gage was feeling. He loved her but in a different way, like a little sister that he never had. She had never intentionally hurt one single person her entire life, yet had to endure such cruelty from other people. He had been honored when she felt safe enough to unfurl her soul to him and his wife. It was only then that he realized how deeply she had been hurt by men in the past. Now his greatest dread was that they were too late to stop it from happening again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She could feel the fatigue gripping his body; his pace had slowed up considerably since she had regained consciousness. The pain in her shoulder was radiating throughout her entire body; which could easily be because the bullet itself was shifting from its original position. The fact that she could feel the slick wetness of fresh blood meant that she was still losing volume and that wasn't going to help her get out of this predicament.

He had never been any good at measuring distance but knew that he and his captive had made good headway in his efforts to lose the search party. The fact that his poor, tired body couldn't stand to lug around the Bitch anymore was the main reason he made the decision to drop her off here and go about making her pay for what she had done.

He made no attempt to protect her in any shape or form when he squatted to the ground to unburden himself. Her body flopped to the ground like a limp rag doll. He watched for any signs that she was going to awaken from her induced coma. A quiet moan escaped from her lips and her body twitched a little but was then motionless. Secure in the belief that she would put up little fight, he unzipped his pants and caressed the tool he was going to use to break the Half Breed before he finally putting her out of her misery.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe was in good physical condition for a man of any age and that was making the fast paced trek through the forest possible; adrenaline can only push the human body so far on its own ability. One of the main trains of thought speeding through his head was disappointment that she didn't feel safe enough to confide in him about her past torments. He wasn't angry about it, more that he wished he could have been there for her. His rage was focused at the men in her short life who had put her in that terrible position.

The more he thought about it the angrier he got. He may never know the details and part of him selfishly hoped to be spared of them; although disappointed he did understand her reasoning. He knew his niece well enough to know that her greatest fear would have been that he along with his brother-in-law and her grandfather may have ended up in prison or worse exacting revenge on the monsters that hurt her.

Those thoughts were pushed aside to once again focus on the task at hand. They had been traveling for what seemed like forever once again. It must have been at least another twenty minutes. If she were still actively bleeding then she was most definitely running out of time.

Marco and Brice were once again paired with each other. The men had stayed in teams of two for added security and more so to appease the Sheriff. Before this whole thing happened neither man could honestly say they liked the other very much; for one thing their personalities were so completely different; although respect for their professional abilities had always been there.

Brice was beyond exhausted and was trying to take his mind off of the worst case scenario by fretting over how on earth he was going to be able to show up for the next shift. He was covered in scrapes and scratches all over his arms and legs, not to mention that he hadn't slept in days. He was thinking about how he would explain it to his partner of over two years.

He audibly gasped upon the realization that his usually iron trap mind hadn't figured in the fact that his partner wouldn't be running with him the next shift or maybe ever again. For a second he had actually allowed his mind to compensate for the over load it was going through; which was something he was not familiar with.

"You alright?" Marco inquired when his companion made a muffled noise.

A simple nod from Brice ended the one sided conversation, sending the firemen back into his own thoughts; dark, ugly ones. Everyone would classify him as a light hearted man who was always looking out for his friends and family. The funny thing was that he would pin that description on his dear friend.

He had lost friends in the fire service before and others that he never had a chance to know personally. This was different, this wasn't because of a fire, or accident of some kind. This was all occurring because some sorry excuses for human beings had stalked and attack her and the women in his friend's lives. Part of him would never own up to the other side of the coin that maybe his rage was also because she was a woman. He was more than confident in her ability was a firefighter and paramedic but he was more protective of her; which would piss her off if she ever found out. For just a second his mouth curled into the infamous Marco Lopez grin.

Johnny stopped in his tracks so suddenly that Roy nearly slammed into him. His eyes were affixed to the darkening sky. The Raven had not left Gage's sight but was now maintaining a consistent pattern above the trees not far ahead from where the two men had stopped. His cries were loud and persistent as if to tell them that they were near end of their quest.

He took a deep breath and said a prayer to The Creator; as he chanted a prayer in Lakota that she had taught him he was rewarded with what he had been missing. A beacon as bright as a lighthouse had just turned on in his head, blinding his mind's eye momentarily. He swayed with the incoming message.

"Johnny? What is it? What do you see?" Roy meant 'sight' in the literal and figurative way. He was staring into the paramedic's eyes and could see that something had changed and was saying his own prayer that it was for the good.

"I can feel her again, Roy! She is alive! She's in so much pain.....I don't know how much longer she can hold on! We have to pick up the speed!!" The all too familiar tone of desperation was in Johnny's voice as his elation was short lived, knowing that her will to live may not be enough to keep her in this world for very long.

Renewed with hope the two men dashed into the thickness of trees once again. Only now Gage had lost visual with the wise bird that he had been following. Her psychic cries were so graphic and intense that his head pounded in rhythm to her assault.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was fighting every instinct in her being to allow her body to drop painfully to the unforgiving ground; landing on her already injured side. She wanted to scream out in agony but knew she had to play her cards right; there was only a small window of opportunity for her to stay alive and intact.

She even stayed perfectly still and exposed when she heard his pants unzip and listen to his gratification noises as he prepared to humiliate and brutalize her. His body was now slithering up to hers; his filthy hands exploring around her legs creeping towards her pelvis. Then he grabbed her shoulders and pushed until she was on her back. Once she was positioned to his liking he began tugging at her already torn hiking shorts. Now it would only be a matter of moments before she would make one final effort to save her own life.

He grunted with pleasure as her shorts started to give in to his efforts to remove them; her body was tight and toned; almost beautiful except for the fact that she wasn't really white despite those big blue eyes. She was still unmoving as if she had no clue what was about to take place; which excited him even more. His muscular body had her legs pinned down but in his haste to begin the torture he failed to notice that her arms were not out of commission.

Still tugging at her shorts he arched his back to get better leverage; giving her the chance of a lifetime. She used the opportunity to spring into action by simultaneously bringing her arms up towards her attacker; slamming one fist into the side of his neck; aiming for his jugular then bringing the other open hand thrusting upwards under his jaw.

He made a gurgled scream as once again he was under attack by his prey; obviously learning nothing from his first encounter with her. He reeled backwards as his mouth filled up with blood from almost severing his tongue when he involuntarily clamped down on it with his teeth.

The prongs from the large Jade ring that adorned her right hand cut deep into the flesh on the left side of his neck. A deep bruise was already forming in the deepest layers of the skin; although still not yet visible. The resulting trauma was already causing intense swelling that would soon begin to impede the flow of blood to his brain.

She scurried backwards away from him; her energy almost completely spent by such a simple defensive maneuver. Even if she had a mere few seconds to regroup it was going to improve her odds. Any other time she would have gone from defensive to offensive mode, taking him out but right now the pain was unbearable and she was finding it harder to breath. Her throat felt tight and rough, like she had swallowed sand paper.

For a more than a few moments he found himself retching, spitting out the already clotting pools of blood from his mouth. His throat was killing him as the new pain radiated down into his collar bone; with every retch it intensified the experience. Enraged he dug deep to find the strength to block out the pain. He wasn't going down without a fight; from the small of his back he drew the pistol that he had shot her with.

His intention was to have some fun with her but she spoiled that for him. Now the only thing left to do was end it one final time. Since one bullet hadn't done her in; he figured he would empty the remaining rounds into her slender body just to be sure this time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frustration didn't give justice to what Gage was feeling right now; he was so close yet so far away. Every single fiber in his being was telling him that she had only minutes to live and that soon all he would discover was her beaten and broken body. Battling between his own emotions and absorbing everything that had and was happening to her was just too much to digest. Giving up wasn't even in his vocabulary but he was at a loss as to what to do next.

Then everything changed when both men caught something in their peripheral vision; as their eyes adjusted to the blinding light to the left of their position the intensity toned down just enough for them to make out an image within the illuminating circle.

It was a woman dressed in white, not resembling anyone that either men could think of. There was no logical reasoning to explain what they were witnessing; the apparition had appeared literally out of nowhere. She began to waive at the two men with an urgency that matched their own. In a moment of clarity Gage remembered something that his Tehila had told him a couple of years ago after she had nearly been taken from him the first time.

Twice in her time of need she had come to believe that she had been blessed enough to see one of her guardian angels; an angel that had helped to save her life by giving her the direction and tools she needed to get the help that her and Brice had so desperately needed. This vision before was exactly as she had described to both him and his partner.

Roy stood frozen in his place in awe of the beautiful lady in white. Her skin was flawless as porcelain; her eyes dark like pools of chocolate. The odd thing was that he felt no sense of fear or trepidation, instead he felt comforted as if the long awaited response to their prayers had been delivered.

The woman waived one final time and then turned and floated into the lush forest. Not needing any more motivation the two firemen took the cue and followed the mysterious figure towards the light at the end of the madness.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was staring back at her attacker having no place to run. They were in a partial clearing, the area large enough that even in her normally healthy state she would have had a difficult time diving for cover. Now weaken, exhausted and wounded that feat would next to impossible. She had fought a valiant fight but it now seemed like it was all in vain. Johnny was going to find her body; the outer shell because her soul would have went on to the next life.

She wanted to cry at the vision of his face once he found her, too little too late. They had long ago promised each other that both of them would fight the Hounds of Hell to never leave the other alone. She had done just that and if she could find a way out of this last stand she would take it. However as the seconds counted down she resigned herself to the enviable. She forced herself to rise to her feet wanting to face her death looking it in the face.

Standing near the forests edge he took aim he watched his victim gather enough strength to get to her feet. Actually it was almost impression how much fight the Broad had put up; not that it mattered to him. Although he was disappointed that it would end so quickly he was satisfied to have this whole mess come to down to a final countdown of seconds till he could dispose of her and start his journey to the land of his retirement.

As he started to flex his finger to compress the trigger he was totally relaxed once again failing to observe his surroundings. In a flash he felt his right hand being cranked in an unnatural angle as he screamed in pain. Before he knew it an elbow crashed into the large bruise on the side of his neck causing a sensation so intense he blacked out falling to the forest floor.

Johnny continued his justified assault on the remaining Bastard that had done some much harm. He didn't register the voices of the Lawman or his fellow fireman; all he could see was red the color of revenge.

"JOHNNY! THAT'S ENOUGH! WE'VE GOT HIM! GO TO HER NOW!!" Marco was screaming some in English and the rest in Spanish; knowing Gage knew what he was saying in both languages.

"SON! Listen to me! It's over....I've got him and he's not going to hurt anyone ever again. Don't make this worse by making me have to arrest you too!" The Sheriff fully understood and personally agreed with his intentions. However glancing towards the wounded warrior he knew that she needed him more.

The only voices that stopped him was that off Joe and Roy. The combination of professionalism under fire and pure terror echoed through the trees. Looking up he could see that she had collapsed into his partner's arms. Joe and Brice was ripping into the medical kits that they had been humping around, trying to get all of the many supplies that were going to be needed to stabilize her.

"Johnny.....get over her now......she's needs all of us right now!!!" Roy screamed in a panic that drove icicles into his heart.

He fly to her side taking the horrific sight before him; bring back flashbacks of another time when she was in such a grave condition. Her hands were mottled in layers of raw meat with blood caked on them. Her clothing was tattered and torn barely covering her beaten body. What caused him to nearly lose whatever contents were left in his stomach was the jagged line around her long delicate neck and the visible swelling that had encompassed the region. The flesh was shredded and blood had created trails down her to her chest.

Kneeling beside her he peered into her aqua colored irises; hoping she could still sense his presence, giving her strength. He was relieved to at least be looking at her directly and not only through their spiritual connection.

"Baby? Tehila? Can you hear me? You have to hold on for me.....for us....alright? You've made it this far....don't give up now...please..." He begged her.

"Johnny?" She inquired, not even realizing that her other loved ones were around her also.

"Yeah baby....it's me. We're gonna get you out of here...just hold on!" This time he gingerly caressed her forehead.

Taking a deep breath was now impossible; the pain was beyond comprehension. The swelling in her throat had only gotten worse. She could feel her throat constricting as she managed to mutter what might be her last words.

"I LOVE you...."


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Roy watched as Johnny attacked the mad man before he could pull the trigger and kill A.J. Every fiber in his being wanted to join in on the may lay. Then he raised his eyes to witness Wolfie begin to sway as if every last drop of energy had dispersed from her body. He sprinted with lightening speed catching her as she collapsed.

It wasn't the first time he had held her in his arms; of course never in the romantic way as his brother. In the fire service sometimes times several different stations would hold training exercises and have revolutions to drill on all kinds of mock scenarios. Plus there had been a time or two like right before the women had left for this trip where he had to all but carry her because of the risks that all firefighters face.

Now as he gently cradled her she felt lighter than air compared to her usual solid muscular frame that separated her from the average woman. She was barely conscious as if she knew that there was no longer any threat to her well being. What concerned him was the lack of pain response to all that she had endured and her labored breathing. He was attempting not to allow his mind to wander with the possibility that they might have been too late to save her from that unspeakable horror. Her clothes were so tattered that it was impossible to determine if it had happened during the physical grappling or as a direct result of an assault of another nature.

With a short and to the point radio communication the other two teams were there within moments. Marco and the Sheriff went to Gage's aid to find that he needed none; at least not to save him from physical harm. They were trying to break through the rage that had encompassed the normally level headed paramedic.

He was understandably beyond the break of reasoning; this monster had nearly taken away one of the most important people in his life.

Joe and Brice choose to head over to her and instantly took in a sight that despite everything none of them was ready to see. She looked as if she had literally been to Hell and back. Blood in some form covered nearly all of her exposed skin, which was most of it. Her clothing was no longer providing any semblance of modesty; which all of them knew would be important to her.

As Brice dropped his bags the first item he searched for and found was a thermal blanket to give her some dignity and to try and ward off any progressing symptoms of shock. Her lack of alertness or orientation was worrisome; the gulping noises she was making were terrifying. The last time she had been so torn up he had also been gravely wounded and she had most certainly saved his life. He had never been in a position to pay her back in kind; until now.

Dr. Joe Early had been a doctor for a couple decades and had witnessed some of the most horrible deeds that one human being could do to another. However in all of that time he had never been so overcome by any of it; now his hands were visibly shaking as he unloaded his medical bag to get all of the items he was going to need. His precious niece's life was literally in his hands; a burden that weighed heavily on him. If the worst happened how was he going to explain it to her parents and the rest of the family?

His rage and other emotions had been bottled up for days now; the guilt of not reacting to his own premonition of sorts earlier, the pain of experiencing what she was going through, the agony of wondering what he would do without her and now maybe having to find out. They all vented like a volcano onto the only remaining monster that had lead to it all. The payback he would never have a chance to inflict on her original rapists he took out on this one now.

The icing on the cake was when the pathetic excuse for a man turned towards him and he caught sight of his unzipped pants. There was no stopping Johnny as he continued to beat him within an inch of his life; not caring if one more punch would be the final fatal blow. He knew the others were pleading with him to stop but the actual words were not being filtered from his ears to his brain.

That was until the shrill, scared voice of his partner of many years made a plea of his own. "JOHNNY! PLEASE...SHE NEEDS YOU....NOW!!" It was that lone sentence that brought him back to his senses; he wasn't about to fail her now.

With long, desperate strides he made to her within mere seconds. As he slid to his knees beside his mentor Joe Early he finally took in the vision before him. Not caring about being macho or brave his eyes welled up with tears as he gently caressed one of the only patches of skin that wasn't bruised or bloody. She normally exuded strength yet softness, power yet compassion; now she looked more like a broken China Doll; skin pale and washed out; almost brittle as if it would shatter if touched.

He entrusted her medical care to the men around him; not wanting to stop touching and talking to her; so she could hear his voice and come back to it. He could feel her slipping away as she tried with much difficulty to draw in even a shallow breath at this point. Her gasps were getting louder and her eyes frantic as the oxygen levels began to drop causing her brain to go into a panic mode. Her chest rose sharp and rapidly as she fought to suck in life giving air. Any concern for the rest of her injuries was mute at this point; if they didn't do something fast to help her breath nothing else would be of any consequence.

"Tehila? Baby....it's me...come open your eyes for my darling...." Johnny held her wrist since both of her hands weren't in any condition to be touched.

"It's gonna be alright....try to relax....you'll be able to breath better soon...I promise." He added that with the understanding that she would know that he had never once made a promise to her that he had not kept.

He and the other medical professionals could see that her neck veins were sharply distended as her blood pressure rose with her body's strain in trying to fill her lungs with life saving oxygen; even with the O2 mask on her face that wasn't being accomplished. The welting laceration that had torn through the flesh of her neck had caused swelling that was closing her throat rapidly.

Joe, Brice and Roy had become a well oiled machine in a matter of moments; both paramedics proving a crucial element in trying to stabilize their patient. The doctor was giving them instructions on how they could fix the situation without having to intibate her; the procedure is always a lot more difficult on a conscious person. The natural gag reflex can be hard to overcome.

She vaguely remembered feeling this frantic need for air once before; a few years ago when the Squad that her and Craig were in decided to make a swan dive off of a cliff in the canyon region of their running area. Then it was her broken ribs collapsed one of her lungs nearly suffocating her; only she had managed to block out most of that experience recalling very little of it.

Now she could feel that the pressure in her lungs building to a crescendo because not only was she no longer able to inhale, she couldn't exhale either. It was like when she was a kid and would threaten to hold her breath until she passed out; only in this case it was an involuntary reaction to the trauma that she had endured. Johnny's voice and the voices of a few others were soft and quiet to her, as if they were far off instead of inches away from her. They were telling her to be calm and that everything was going to be OK; more than anything in the world she prayed that they knew what they were talking about.

The elevated blood pressure was causing an intense throbbing headache to emerge along with the other pains that were standing in line to be recognized by her overworked brain; before it had hurt to breath and now it was literally killing her not to being able to breathe at all. Although her fiancé's voice was a soothingly comforting she prayed for the darkness to bring temporary relief until those she trusted with her life could find a solution to her suffering.

"Can you get it? We're running out of time..." Brice asked calmly; well calmly for the average person, frantically for him.

"JOE? She's passed out! WE don't have much time!" Roy now inquired of the veteran doctor.

"Are you gonna have to....." Johnny's voice pleaded for any answer that was going to save her but dreaded the possibly that he didn't finish in his question. The only other option that was open was to do a Tracheotomy; an airway would have to be cut into her neck to bypass the esophagus.

"GIVE me a second....alright?" The tension in Joe's voice as obvious as it was understandable; time was not on their side. His normally surgeon steady hands were fighting with her abused airway to allow the tube to slide down her throat forcing it to stay open.

He continued to maneuver the slender piece of plastic and finally felt that last obstacle give way allowing him to push the tube into its final resting place. As Roy attached the 02 to the end of it they could immediately see her body relax and the color of her lips improve; pinking back up. What failed to happen was for her to regain consciousness.

His head lowered to her chest looking and listening for signs that she was still breathing under her own power; initially Roy had been using a mask that allowed him to temporarily 'bag' her to make sure the much needed oxygen was circulating through her body.

"Roy? Is she......please tell me that....?" Johnny met the gaze of his adopted brother waiting for his analysis.

"She's breathing on her own, Johnny....for now....." Roy didn't have to tell his best friend that she was far from out of the woods, so to speak.

Now was the task to treat the other wounds as best as they could until the chopper that the Sheriff had summoned could reach them and then land safely. Although the blood, lacerations and bruises that littered over her body looked appalling none of it was life threatening except for the bullet that was floating around her torso.....somewhere.

Since there was no gross bleeding from the gunshot wound there was very little they could do to treat it; only keep her immobilized to hopefully prevent any internal damage. Her hands were the next greatest threat; nerve and muscle damage was a definite possibility. They only course of treatment was to monitor her vitals, clean the wounds and start some IV solutions to stave off the infections that were sure to come; as well as keeping her hydrated.

As the men of medicine worked feverishly Marco stood above them with the utmost respect and admiration. Somehow they were holding it together and doing their tasks despite the circumstances laid before them. Each one was doing his job as if it were routine; which he could not imagine being able to do himself.

Then his prayers went to his fallen friend. "Dear Lord, please don't take her from us now...we need her....Johnny needs her...."

She was no longer spastically throwing herself around on the ground trying to breath; now she was deathly still which in a way frightened him even more. Now he just wanted to see those gorgeous aqua colored irises looking up at him. If God's plan for all of them had been different he could have seen himself falling for her all those years ago. Now he saw her as a part of his extended family that could never be replaced; his love for her was of a different variety.

In the distance the familiar rumble of a Huey helicopter could heard coming in from the south. It would only now be minutes before it would reach the natural landing zone area; then a few more to hike her over to it much the same way they had done for Dixie only a short while ago.

As the men encircled and lifted the Stokes Basket with the now fragile woman inside of it they all wondered the same thing. Was her unconscious state simply from sheer exhaustion, the bullet that had entered her body or because her spirit and body had been violated one too many times? Would she come back to them, especially if the later fear were true?


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MORE DESCRIP VIOLENCE THAN THE OTHER CHAPTERS. IT IS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THIS CHAPTER.

Marco wanted to tear the Bastard limb from limb with his bare hands. If the Sheriff had not been there he wasn't so sure that he wouldn't have made him pay dearly; after all there wasn't a single redeeming quality about the man. He was quite simply a waste, taking up precious oxygen. As the chopper took off he fantasized about throwing the worthless piece of shit off the side.

The Sheriff was escorting his prisoner aboard the second chopper. His fellow passengers would be Marco and Brice. Although Marco was a logical choice to wait for the next ride because of his lack of medical skills, Brice opted to ride in the second chopper out of compassion. He knew that Gage needed to be there with her and that his partner was his other lifeline in all of this mess; separating them would have been cruel and not productive, time was of the essence.

What made it even more of a selfless act was the fact that he had to make a huge moral decision; whether or not to treat her assailant, who had been taken down by A.J. and Johnny. For the most part the aliments he complained of were minor; with exception of the large bruise that had formed around the carotid artery region of his neck. The ugly formation was only skin deep in its appearance but it was what was in the deepest region that was causing the problem; intense swelling that was limiting blood supply to the brain as well as precious oxygen. The man whom everyone in this small part of the planet hated was now begging for help as it became harder to think clearly or to breathe.

Of course legally he had obligations as did the other two men but right here and now they had to make a choice; justice or humanity? In his mind he thought about what his partner would except of him at this crucial moment in time.

The man who had been Sheriff for more years than he cared to remembered sat looking back and forth between his companions. He was witnessing the moral and ethical debate raging in the young men's eyes. He knew that he didn't even close to having the skills that they possessed and at the moment he was actually glad that he didn't because he didn't want to be in their shoes right now.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The actual hike of urgency was thankfully brief; with each man gripping the Stokes as if their own lives hung in the balance. Their patient wasn't complaining, which wasn't a good sign. This woman who would usually present a strong, graceful presence now resembled a beaten and disfigured shell of herself.

As they loaded her in the chopper Joe once again took her vital signs to compare them to the previous set to see if they were deteriorating or holding steady. He knew that the only life threatening injury at the present time was the mystery location of the bullet somewhere in her body. The effects could be minimal to severe damage to vital organs; only more tests and than surgery would give them the answers that they sought.

Only for some reason he greatest fear wasn't for her physical life but rather her psychological one. Since this nightmare had unfolded he had suddenly come to understand what had changed her personality so profoundly so many years ago. Although she had never confided in him he knew the effects that such an attack could have on even the strongest of people. What remained to be seen was whether or not she still had the will to drag herself back to the world of the living.

His mind then began to multitask as he worried about his niece he was also thinking of Dixie. Her injuries were more immediately threatening; the bullet had collapsed her lung and undoubtedly caused other significant internal damage to the surrounding area. He couldn't, no he wouldn't entertain the notion of not having her as part of his life both professionally and personally. It would now only be a few more minutes until he would find out what her condition was currently.

Roy was kneeling beside his patient doing 'busy work'; monitoring the oxygen mask and output, checking the rate on the IVs that were pouring into her veins, and observing to make certain that she was still breathing on her own. In his mind's eye he was picturing the woman before him with the face of his wife Joanne. The very thought made him involuntarily shiver, causing a look of concern to cross the brow of Dr. Early; with a quick glance he informed him silently that he was alright.

He then flipped his mind to one of many happy memories where A.J. and Johnny were playing with his little children. It was during those times that he would ponder what wonderful parents the two of them would make. His kids always squealed with glee at the very thought of seeing their 'aunt and uncle'. Both he and Joanne were grateful in more than one way that Chris and Jenny were so close to them; A.J. and Johnny were the only 'babysitters' that the kids wouldn't whine and complain about.

He once again pictured Joanne in his mind and felt more than a smidge of guilt for putting her out of his mind until this very moment. He of course was worried about her but not for her physical existence. Her wounds were all superficial; at least the ones that could be seen. He knew that she was in good hands and off the mountainside from Hell. Shortly he would hold her in his arms once again and await the news on two special ladies. Then he would tend to her every need; do whatever it would take to make her feel safe again.

What was eating away at his gut was the questions that burned into his soul. If A.J. and Alice had at least come close to being sexually assaulted; had his beloved suffered the same fate? Or even worse had it amounted to more than 'coming close'? His thirst for revenge was being partially quenched by the knowledge that all but one of them were laying dead amongst the trees that now looked so small as he took a moment to glance out of the side of the chopper. Even if he managed to control his impulses he wasn't too sure that the one that was left alive would make it to any courtroom for a trial and he was just as certain that he would throw a party if that happened.

Then he glanced over to the man whom he regarded as a brother; a bond that was thicker than blood. The fatigue, guilt and pain was clearly etched on his the broad, tanned face. He had seen this same expression once before and right now it was no less heart wrenching. In all of the years he had known him Johnny had never once developed a connection so strong and as quickly as he had with A.J. He knew very little details about Johnny's past, only that it had been far from a cake walk; being that he was obviously of Indian heritage had made it difficult for him to fit in anywhere. She had seemed to have known him better than he knew himself from day one. What would happen if she couldn't fight off the Grim Ripper one more time?

Gage sat beside the only woman that he had ever loved in its purest form. He had dated more than a few women and had thought at the time that he felt love for some of them. It wasn't until he met A.J. Whitewolf that he truly understood the meaning of that term. He had long ago stopped trying to be the cocky, slightly arrogant fireman/paramedic extraordinaire; at least around her. Almost immediately after meeting her he had this intense attraction to her and not just because she was stunningly beautiful. He had basically begged and pleaded with her to go out on a date with him and she had resisted his charms for nearly a year.

Then came the day when she dared him to not brag or tell a soul that she had agreed to out on a date with him. At first it killed him not being able to boast with his guys about what a wonderful time they had together but soon enough he was addicted to everything about her and if keeping his mouth shut meant he could spend more time with her then so be it.

Since then he had learned that he couldn't live without her. He was aware of how corny it sounded but she completed him; both in how her love had it had changed him and how he had become more comfortable in his own skin. He was always proud of his Sioux heritage but she helped him to embrace them more wholly; her sense of purpose and spiritually fascinated him.

Looking down at her still nearly lifeless body he began to allow the tears to flow once again. He had failed the person he wanted to protect more than anything in this world. She had faced her greatest nightmare, alone without him. The appearance of her clothing lead him down a mind numbing path. What if it had happened again? How would or could he even help her through it? Would she stop fighting rather than deal with the trauma?

He grabbed her wrist and firmly squeezed it; believing that even in her state she would hear his pleas. "Tehila? Baby... please you have to listen to me.....come back to us Sweet Heart. I know that you're in a lot of pain right now but we're gonna make it better real soon."

Sensing that the conversation was still one sided Gage leaned in closer to her ear and continued his begging. "You saved them.....everyone is going to be alright....you did that for them. Whatever he did to you....it wasn't your fault! You did everything that you could to stop them from hurting anyone...please know that I am here for you no matter what!! You need to follow my voice back to me. Please Tehila, I know that you can!" His voice broke from exhaustion, tension and grief.

He didn't know of Dixie's condition and was aware of the fact that for the first time in their time together he might have been lying to her. Right now his gut instincts told him that his favorite nurse was going to pull through and he had to hold on to that belief. She was also a huge part of his extended family and a good friend to all of the paramedics. It was widely known that many nurses were resentful of paramedics but she most definitely wasn't one of them. Her support was a large part of the reason that the program ever got off its feet.

Right now his focus remained on her; the one woman who truly knew the real Johnny Gage. He was grateful to allow Joe and Roy to do all of the heavy lifting on this patient, although he did feel pity for Joe having to work on her. The minutes until they would arrive at Rampart seemed to take an eternity. Then without warning she began to thrash around as if she was once again fighting for her life.

Her actions were of course noticed by all three men who scrambled to stop her from doing more harm to herself. Joe readied a syringe filled with a sedative that would calm her down but he hesitated to use it unless their was no other option open to him, in her weakened state introducing as little medication the better.

Her eyes snapped open as she struggled against their embraces; filled with utter and complete terror. The blue-green irises now a pale, drained shade of crystal blue. They didn't shift in either direction but maintained a steady focus on an unseen force that she was battling with for her life.

She was back to the brief moment in time when fighting for her life, desperate to get back to her Johnny. She could feel his foul smelling breath on her face as he planted his hands and began to grope over her legs and hips as he lay across her; his extra weight pinning her down, making her helpless to his advances. She was awaiting her one last chance to save herself, then it did and she began to fight with every cell in her body. As she did so her mind began to blend together what was happening in the present to what had happened so many years ago.

Now she was being held down by three sets of large hands and listening to the cackling of the men who were about to take so much from her young life. Her shorts were tossed aside as was her underwear. Her shirt torn open exposing her bra and the soft flesh underneath it. She was laid out in a grassy meadow; her cries being absorbed by the vast openness of the field.

Their pants were unzipped exposing their weapons; which she never saw with her own eyes. Her legs were now forced open as one of the men shoved himself deep inside of her; the tender flesh shredding from the invasion. She cried out begging them to stop; which only caused them to intensify their cruelty. After the other two took their turns they commanded her to lie on her stomach; when she didn't comply fast enough one of them kicked her and rolled her over.

Her mind couldn't comprehend how the physical torture could get any worse. What could they possible do to her now? Her questions were interrupted by a voice shouting, "GET UP ON YOUR KNEES HALF BREED!" The others once again did their part by making sure she was in position and could not escape their clutches.

The pain went from unbearable to blinding when he and the others forced themselves into another part of her body; the new violation causing the area to bleed in protest. She was in so much pain that she could no longer scream. Then a moment came that one of them lifted himself off of her, leading her to believe that the worst was over.

Yet another voice sneered, "Do you think that she has learned her lesson?"

She began to sob hysterically when another man replied, "NO...I think we had better make sure that we really 'drill it' into her!" The second voice had such elation in his tone. Thus the punishment continued as each man took his good old time pleasuring himself as each one once again ripped into the both areas of her battered body.

She fought back with all of her might which amounted to very little; in her mind she was fighting off her attackers not the men she trusted with her life. Her ghost memories were making the present and the past meld together; her body in such intense pain that she barely felt the bullet shift it's position. As she had before she now welcomed the darkness that enveloped her in its shroud.

The men looked on helpless as the thrashing stopped only to witness blood seeping from her mouth as her body lurched one last time. Her vitals sharply dropped, along with the EKG frantically changing its pattern on the monitor.

Joe screamed orders to both men attempting to stabilize her vital signs giving them a bigger window of opportunity to get her into surgery; which was the only thing that could save her life now.

They were now on their decent to the landing strip at Rampart. The question on off of their minds was whether or not she would be alive when they touched down.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The chopper was descending as fast as possible; which wasn't fast enough. A.J.'s vitals continued to deteriorate rapidly despite the men's efforts to revive her. The thrashing had ceased but so had any kind of muscle control, now she was just lying limp like a rag doll that had its stuffing torn out.

Her blood pressure was crashing, which could only mean that there was some degree of internal bleeding occurring somewhere in her gut. Which organs were being affected and to what degree was now the million dollar question at hand. It could amount to a relatively small nick or tear that could more easily be repaired or something much more catastrophic like multiple lacerations with massive bleeding.

The Huey's landing gear made its final touchdown on the tarmac; with the rescuers on their feet awaiting Rampart's emergency surgical team to take custody of her. Dr. Early had radioed ahead via County, informing them of her condition. As they approached he began to rattle off her most recent vitals and other critical information; much the same way that Roy, Johnny and A.J. did on a weekly basis.

Notably missing from the trauma team was Dr. Kelly Brackett, the hospital's Chief of Emergency Medicine and Dr. Mike Morton. In this case they shared even more in common with Joe Early; all three of them were far too close to the situation and victims to be objective. In reality is what a blessing to be freed from that burden and instead be able to comfort each other and await news on the women's condition.

So as the medical team took over her care; the men just stood there on the black top, momentarily at a lose for what to do or say. Professionally they had performed their best work; now there was nothing left for them to but pray that it would be enough.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a rare occasion for Waiting Room A to be crammed with so many occupants. The remaining rescuers and the women they had fought so hard to locate were sitting, standing or pacing back and forth. All of them trying not to break down; their bodies, hearts and minds were near critical exhaustion. Each one of them were worrying not only about Dixie who was now in the hands of the surgical staff but also A.J. and the other men who had remained behind to find her. Not one of them even knew if she was alive or dead or for that matter if the men they served with were out of harms way. Their minds were torn between the unknown outside of the hospital and what was happening in OR 3.

Kel sat down on one of the few chairs to accommodate everyone there; he no longer had the strength to stand. While he was on the chopper with her he forced himself into full doctor mode; allowing him to remain completely calm, collected and professional. He had realized that his emotions would have to be sorted out much later; well later was now. He and Morton had been released as primary caregivers of Dix; their part was finished, they now had nothing to do but wait. Patience had never been his strong suit and that was when he had nothing personal at stake.

There was no way to sugar coat what the experienced doctor knew to be true; the bullet had collapsed her lung and had pierced itself through at least one of the main chambers of her heart. The surgery would have been tricky if it had been a patient who had been brought in immediately after it had happened; with her case it had literally already been over two hours since the maniac had fired his weapon. His analytical mind was calculating the odds of survival, the possible surgical techniques and nearly every single thing that could go wrong while she was in OR.

He had made sure the other women were individually examined and given whatever care was needed; which he could have performed himself but found himself unable to do so. He silently told himself to make sure that Mike got one hell of a raise coming to him after this was all over; he had stepped up and began the task of giving treatment to their friends. Now most of them were back in the waiting room; anxiously waiting on news about Dixie's surgery and the whereabouts of A.J.; with the exception of Mike Stoker and Alice. Although her physical injuries were minimal; it was her state of mind that was of biggest concern. Mike of course choose to stay with her, hoping to pull her out of her mental downward spiral.

While Kel of course cared about their welfare, the only other person he could think of now besides Dix was A.J. He wasn't overly concerned about his fellow rescuers since they were together and in the hands of the Sheriff and the FBI Agent. When they had taken off the agent had agreed to stay behind and do his best to process the immense crime scene; which was going to prove to be all but impossible.

He had grown quite fond of her over the years; in truth it didn't take years for that to happen and it wasn't because of her connection to Joe either. She had come to the department and paramedic program with a 'take no prisoners' attitude; somehow fitting right in with the rest of the men. He could only judge her skills as a paramedic and for those he gave her an A+. He knew how valuable she was to her partner and the department but often thought about what a great RN she would make for his team as well.

She had quickly become a personal friend to him as well; something he cherished. He had already witnessed her 'death' once before and the very thought of reliving that experience made him want to vomit. One of the other RNs Carol had come in to update him when Joe had called in giving the trauma team the heads up. He had then gone to the booth listening to his transmissions as another Doctor took down notes. At first everything seemed to be cautiously optimistic; her vitals were stable even though she was still unconscious.

Then suddenly he could hear Joe start screaming both orders and for a new set of vitals; which brought a freeze to his already embattled heart. It was then that he subconsciously made his way back to the waiting room and sat down, not mentioning a word to anyone. It took everything in him not to bellow at the top of his lungs in grief, worry and anguish. His usual professional detachment was utterly failing him now. How could things have gone so wrong, so quickly? How could a simple camping trip turn into this weekend from Hell?

Hank sat stood next to Dr. Brackett; with Emily sitting in front of him on one of the lounge chairs. He was elated to be able to touch her, to hold her but was tied in knots over what he still couldn't control. Although technically Wolfie was no longer one of his paramedics his feeling of responsibility for her had never dissipated. She had done her probationary period at Station 51 and what a wild ride that had been; from the minute she rode in on her Harley he instantly knew that the Los Angeles County Fire Department would never be the same again. Now rubbing his wife's shoulders his mind wandered down a dark corridor of what would become of his junior paramedic if there was no story book ending out of this ordeal?

He looked down at Emily and said a prayer that one of those monsters hadn't laid a hand on her; he had no idea what he was going to do if anything like that had happened. Upon witnessing the hysterics of Mike's girlfriend Alice he was leaning on the side that nothing like that had happened. Right now she was so silent it frightened him but then again it wasn't as though she had nothing else on her mind at the moment. Two of her very good friends were literally fighting for their lives. He of course knew the condition of Dixie, at least before they wheeled her into surgery. He was certain that Dr. Brackett had received some news about A.J. but when he came into the room it was as if he was in another universe and unreachable.

Emily could feel the broad, strong hands of her husband of many years; which for the time being was the most wonderful touch he had ever given her. She had already contacted A.J.'s next door neighbor who had graciously offered to watch the kids until her mother could come down and watch them. She was told that her two children were still there at Johnny and A.J.'s with Chris and Jenny DeSoto. The adults had figured that it might be less suspicious in the kid's eyes if they just had a surprise sleepover. So she gave Joanne an update on her children and then just sat down to wait and ponder the events of the last few days.

As of right now she couldn't really let herself feel much at all; there was still too much at stake. A.J. was still in route to get the medical help that she required and Dixie was in the middle of a risky and dangerous surgery. As much as she didn't want to entertain the notion; it was possible that she was going to lose both of her friends within minutes of each other.

Then she began to cry at the mere thought of what Alice went through and was going through now in a hospital room not far from here. The look on her face and the hysteria in her voice when she came running up the trail had shook her to the core. Then came the realization that she hadn't run away from the shooting, in fact they had unknowingly left her behind where she faced what every woman fears; not being able to defend themselves from an attack, especially of that nature. In the midst of her tears she said a prayer that Mike could reach her and pull her out of her war torn mind.

Dr. Micheal Morton stood in the doorway to the waiting room thankful that so far people weren't asking him if he was alright. After all what kind of stupid question was that? He knew that people always asked that sort of thing just to make conversation in trying times. However he didn't think that he could handle anyone talking to him...period. He had just finished coordinating treatment for the women that they had brought in along with Dixie.

Now all of his medical training wasn't doing him one bit of good. He was told that he was too close to the situation and that other surgical teams would be taking care of both Dixie and A.J. He was fidgeting with his cuticles trying to calm himself both physically and mentally. He had not experienced anything like what had happened the last few days since his time in the Marines.

He fully understood how some people viewed his personality as stand offish to be polite. When at work he tended to be very matter of fact and not allow emotions to cloud his medical judgment. It was a method that he had learned in Vietnam; a way to keep him from going crazy. Whether it was then or now in the present allowing himself the luxury of breaking down could only result in losing two of his dearest friends.

He was not normally a praying man but today he made an exception. If there was a GOD up there somewhere then he wanted to make absolute certain that 'he' was aware of just how special these two women were to everyone that they knew.

Deep down in some ways he was a real softy, although he never allowed anyone to see it. The strange thing was that A.J. and Dixie was among a short list of individuals that could see it peeking through on rare occasions. Once there had been a child who had been abused by his grandfather and had never told anyone about it. Even though he didn't need the child's confirmation he spent hours with him gaining his trust.

A.J and Brice had been the ones to bring him in and Dixie was one of the nurses assigned to the case. They had been coming and going for the whole afternoon and had later told him what they thought about what he did for the boy.

"I knew there was a big teddy bear inside there somewhere...." Dixie cooed to him, along with her trademark smile.

"I think we should just start calling him 'Dr. Pooky'!!!" A.J. responded keeping up the teasing, knowing how embarrassed he would be.

That memory brought a lightness to his heart; one that only lasted for a moment of two. Although brief it gave him the extra motivation to try and hold onto good and pleasant thoughts. There was simply no way that Rampart or Dr. Mike Morton could live without either one of them in this world.

Sitting in the opposite corner of the room Chet and Sandy were up against the wall resting on the floor. Having so few chairs was part of the reason for their location; the other was this way Chet could encompass her into his strong, understanding arms, right now it was the only thing he could think to do.

He pulled her even closer to his chest; not in a lover's embrace but in that of a protector that would die himself before anyone could harm her. He was attempting to conceal his own emotions for fear of losing it completely. It was only partly because he didn't want to make a scene and more that he knew that ranting and raving right now wouldn't change anything or help the woman that he finally admitted to himself he loved.

He kept telling himself that the physical injuries that she suffered were only superficial and not of a even more cruel nature. He had witnessed Alice's breakdown and had been watching his love for any such signs to indicate that she had also been through that kind of trauma. Believing that to be the case he silently said a thankful prayer and then experienced guilt for be grateful when at least one of the other women apparently had gone through something that horrible.

In some circles 'No news is good news' is an adage that can sometimes hold true. However his years as a firemen were screaming at him that the news was going to be far from good. During their searching he had kept an eye on Gage to watch and see if he could understand his logic or how he could even know which direction to go; considering that to him all of the trees and forest floor looked identical to him. The torment that Johnny was going through was written plainly on his face and in his weary body. He cared deeply for Wolfie as well but of course not on the same level as his 'pigeon'. The entire time he was focused on finding all of the lost women but most definitely his Sandy.

These intense feelings for a woman had never happened to Chet Kelly before; he had always had a good time just spending time with his girlfriends of the past. Although there was no way that either of them would ever admit it Chet knew that Johnny and him were kindred spirits in a way; both of them believing they were more than happy being single and carefree. That was until fate stepped in and threw them for a loop. Of course it was probably partially due to the jealousy that Chet felt towards Gage; before he met Sandy all he could do was look on and admire the bond that he and Wolfie had with each other.

While he rested his head on her shoulder he said a prayer that everything would work out and A.J. and Dixie would be alright. He knew the injures and surgeries they would have to get through wouldn't be a cake walk. However he also knew the both of them and if it was even close to possible then the two of them would rally together and pull of it; they simply had to.

Sandy shivered once again and felt Chet's masculine arms tighten around her waist and in turn she leaned back feeling his body heat absorbing into her own skin; allowing it to give her some much needed comfort. As she sat there with him she thanked GOD ALMIGHTY that she had him right now. Through all of this horror she knew she had him to come home to and that motivation is what drove her to survive; to live another day.

The shivers weren't for any physical or medical reason; in fact she wasn't really even in any kind of pain. Her body would tell her off at a later time but right now all she could focus on was the flashing frames of condemnation that she felt. Poor Alice was left to the wolves because of their mistake; a mistake that may have made her face a terror so horrible that her mind wouldn't allow her to comprehend it.

Then there was the photographic shots of Dixie's body lurching as the gun shots rang out. Their remaining protector had been taken down by the men that were after them and they had to fend not only for themselves but for her as well. A.J. was out in the woods trying to lead the bad guys into the traps that they had hoped would take care of their problems. The only option open to them was to try and do what their limited knowledge asked of them; to care for her wounds as best they could. The pale, bluish tint to her normally rosy skin was almost too much for her to bear as the memories flooded her brain.

Then on to the sounds of Alice shrieking that A.J. had been shot and was under attack was playing in her head at high volume. The images even in those moments were enough to make her lose any contents that would have still been in her stomach. She knew that without a doubt A.J. was one of the strongest women that she had ever known but she had been possibly critically wounded. In that state how could she have possibly defended herself successfully?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike sat alone in the stark white room waiting for some kind of sign that said Alice was aware of her surroundings. He looked down at her from his post in the narrow, hard chair. She looked so weak and fragile; her eyes staring, almost unblinking at nothing but empty space. They darted slightly back and forth, her pupils wide and open; expressing the pain and fright that had her its grip.

He had guessed for some time that there were demons within her that she never gave a voice to. He knew that she loved him; that became apparent even though they had been dating only a short time. She never spoke of her family or the days of her childhood; leading him to believe that neither had been a pleasant experience for her.

Now he wished more than ever that he could put himself in her heart and mind. He wanted to get to the dark place that she was in and shine a light into it; illuminating the shadowy corners. It hurt him more than burns from a fire to know that she was feeling so lost and in so much torment that he could do nothing to comfort her.

Of the few things he had overheard her telling Johnny he knew that A.J. had at least a few of those same demons within her own psyche. He made a note to himself to ask Gage for advice on how to reach his love; not only at this critical moment but in their everyday lives. He longed for her to trust him enough to open up to him; to let him in on the darkness that plagued her. For now he would content to see her blink her lovely eyes and acknowledge his presence next to her and allow him to hold her tightly chasing away the monsters that were imprisoning her.

She was being held hostage by the fog that encircled her; it's tentacle like fingers trying to capture her and drag her into oblivion. What frightened her the most was that part of her wasn't scared of it. The darkness offered her a way out from the torturous images and memories that were flooding her entire being. If she simply gave in to it all the pain would go away and she could be free from the chains that had bound her for so many years.

There wasn't a single honest and pure memory of love and understanding in her childhood that she could recall. Her parents hadn't been abusive at least not in the tradition sense; instead it was their lack of empathy and expressions of affection that had twisted her sense of self esteem. There was never a time where they had utter a simple 'I love you' or 'We're proud of you'; at least not that she ever remembered. She had everything that money could buy and none of the things that it couldn't.

Then came her senior year of high school and the dance of all dances; the prom. Her mom had bought her the most exquisite blue satin dress; with short sleeves and a flared out hem that came to right above her knees. Even in her own eyes she had never looked so beautiful. Her boyfriend was on the football team and so handsome and the other girls were so very jealous of her.

The dance was perfect as they danced together all night long. Then he asked her to go out to a post prom party that was being held in the gymnasium. They drove in his car; only before they got there she started to feel ill. Her head was spinning and her arms and legs felt as if they were made out of hardening clay. She had closed her eyes to fight off the nausea and when she opened them again the car had stopped and he was on top of her; only now instead of sweet gentle kisses his hands were pushing the back of her seat down and pushing her dress above her head.

She begged him to stop; telling him to let her out of the car but her requests fell on deaf ears. Her beautiful dress had turned into restraints for her hands and arms; entrapping them that she couldn't use them to push him away. The boy she once thought she loved had turned into rutting pig that cared nothing about what she wanted; his only concern was taking from her what he wanted. She heard the zipper on his pants and instantly knew that her perfect night was going to end up being anything but.

His hand now savagely ripped off her panties; his fingers exploring in her sacred area. As she continued to protest he used his strong hands to pry apart her legs and force himself into her. His thrusts came hard and fast causing the indescribable pain to fill her lower body. He pushed in one more time before relieving him inside of her. Then he committed perhaps and even more grievous act; when he once again slid his hand inside. Only this time her confused and battered body began to react with pleasure.

"See...you wanted it....or you wouldn't be doing that......" His words echoed inside of her mind to the present day.

Why had she done that? She didn't want to have sex with him she knew that he raped her but then why did her body betray her that way? Was it her fault that it had happened? Maybe she had done something to make him think it was alright to do it?

The nightmare continued when he politely dropped her off at her home and her parents saw her coming through the door. She tried to make it upstairs before they spotted her. Her makeup was runny; her professionally done hair was a mess. Her once pristine dress was now torn and dirty.

"Oh my word!" What happened to you?!" Her father asked angrily.

She started to cry and tried to explain through the sobs that began to rise from her chest. "He tore my dress! He made me do it....I didn't want to. He raped me...I couldn't stop him!!" She looked in the faces of her parents for compassion and what to do next.

"Well, that's what you get for dressing like a slut! You can't just tease men the way you do and think that they aren't going to think that you only have one thing on your mind....." Her mother continued on her rant; every word cutting her severely and deeper than any shard of glass could.

The fateful night began to play simultaneously beside what had happened on the mountainside. The man with a crazed look in his eyes; his hands roaming all over her body; his scent was that of body odor and perspiration. The familiar sound of a zipper being lowered and her being totally and completely out of control, unable to stop him from violating her.

Just as she had so many years ago, she began to pray that the darkness could swallow her whole taking away the physical and mental torment that was to come shortly. Her life flashed before her eyes and the highlights were that of Mike and the times they had spent together. Those moments broke through her mind set and she began to feel the heat of his body and the beating of his heart.

Now in the distance she could hear his voice pleading with her to come back to him. The sadness and fear in his tone was pulling her towards the light at the end of the tunnel of torment. He seemed to be getting closer and closer to where she was; a brilliant light fighting off the shadows in her mind.

"Sweetheart....it's time to come back now. It's alright....your safe with me. I am not going to let anyone hurt you.....I promise you.....please baby...."

The desperate man sitting in the hospital chair was in awe and disbelief when he was rewarded by a petite and bruised hand lightly squeezed his long fingers. Her doe eyes fluttered a few times and her then her pupils seemed to focus on him for the first time.

"Mike?" She inquired weakly.

"What is it? What do you need?" He quietly responded.

"Hold me.....please...."

For the first time in days he allowed himself to cry a river of tears as he gingerly slid in bed beside her, cradling her in his muscular arms.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the waiting room Joanne DeSoto sat in an uncomfortable chair lost in her own thoughts; missing the presence of her husband. She had always admired her husband's choice of profession; although there was more than one time where she wished with all her might that he would want to do something, anything but that. In the end she knew that he was leaving for every shift with a purpose and a passion and in any case she had always been proud of him.

In the past endless days though she had come to a much greater understanding as to what he went through every time he went out on a run or at least the potential of what could happen. The first miracle was that Dixie hadn't died in that small cavern; the second being that no one else was critically injured or killed. The third was the fact that despite all odds their firemen had found them, just in time. The forth and fifth would be if Alice came back to the present and A.J. would come back to the world of the living once again.

When her and Johnny were over last Christmas something had been revealed about her that was so personal and painful. Her and Roy could never in a million years have guessed it was something so horrifically brutal. She had been witness to her what her reaction was when she had to relate to someone the events of that long ago but still haunting day. Even in the safety of Johnny's arms and the presents of 'family' she could barely vocalize any of the events that had unfolded.

So when she took in what Alice was saying her blood had run cold. Now A.J. was near defenseless and at the mercy of men who wanted them dead. Jo's vivid imagination was playing out what could have happened with her being all alone and no one to rescue her from such evil men; who were going to abuse her in every way imaginable. Would the men who all loved her dearly be able to save her in time?

Thankfully Emily had told her about the children; where they were and that they were in good hands. That was one less thing she had to concern herself with and any relief right now was a welcome one. She already trying to think about how they were going to explain what her and Aunt A.J. looked like; not to mention what they felt like inside. She was a mother long enough to know that you can't fool kids when it comes to the real important stuff.

She glanced at her watch and calculated in her head how long it had been since she had kissed him goodbye before taking off in the chopper that had come for them. She closed her eyes and pictured him in her mind; how he good he smelled even without any cologne or after shave and what his voice sounded like. Then for one moment she could have sworn that she heard his voice just outside the room.

"Johnny, we did everything that we could....now it's up to the staff....let them do their job...."

She rose from her seat and opened the door, then looked out into the corridor. Her weary eyes beheld the sight of her husband, and Joe holding Johnny by the shoulders and talking to him as he struggled against them.

"I can't leave her alone without me Roy!! Please...she needs me!" Gage's voice shone with panic and pain.

"Listen to me John! I know how you feel alright? I really do....it's going to be OK.....it has to be...." Joe was doing everything in his power to sound convincing and felt like he was failing miserably.

Peering into his partners eyes Johnny's exhaustion were evident even before his knees buckled underneath him. As he sunk to the ground Roy snatched him around the waist and flung him towards the chairs along the wall. Joanne watched with sorrow as her 'little brother' sank into one of the seats and began to wail; not caring one bit that anyone and everyone could see him weak and broken.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Roy maintained his grip around his partner's waist as he sat with a thump into the chair underneath him; using the opposite hand to bring him in to his own chest. It was then that he realized how much weight he had dropped in the last few days; none of which he could really afford to lose. Johnny was muscular; he had to be to do the job they both did, but never possessed a single extra pound on his tall, lanky frame. Now he could feel each rib as he cradled him gently attempting to reassure him that he wasn't going to lose the only true love that ever come his way; all the while trying to convince himself as well.

The outlook was far from promising; if this had been any other patient that they had brought in under normal circumstances they wouldn't have fooled themselves into believing that was much a chance. All of their brains and experience together was telling them the same thing; however their hearts were choosing to take the road less traveled and believe that she was going to come back to them. There simply was no other option since she absolutely had to come through this; for all of their sakes.

The younger man continued to vent out the rage, guilt and pain that had been accumulating since his first 'feeling' that something wasn't right. His sobs shaking his entire body as he leaned into his partner; with no concern of maintaining any macho appearances. Roy was grateful for the presence of Joe kneeling in from of his friend; speaking to him trying to get him to listen to what he was saying.

"Johnny....I need you to listen to me. Are you listening?" He cupped the dark haired man's chin and forced his eyes to me his.

When he could see the dark brown irises he started to speak, "You can not give up on her now! Do you hear me? You are the reason that we even went to look for them in the first place! The rest of us were clueless, by the time we would have gone to find them it would have been too late...do you understand?"

"If it wasn't for you they would all be dead! Dixie and A.J. have to keep fighting and so do you!! When she wakes up, she is going to need all of us to be there for her; to help her face what may have happened.....again....." He purposefully left that last statement hang in mid air; giving the younger man time to comprehend what his last words were.

This time his eyes cleared and he spoke in an apologetic tone. "Joe, I'm sorry...I couldn't tell you....it wasn't my place to do that...." He hated keeping it from him because he knew that he would do anything for his niece.

"Johnny, I'm not angry at you or her....I am not taking it personally. I just wish I could have been there for her a long time before now....." His voice held the sorrow of not being able to help and comfort his sister's daughter. Glancing over at Roy he could see that the other paramedic wasn't shocked but the disclosure.

"The only reason I know is because I dragged it out of her. accidentally...last Christmas. When that little girl was missing...I knew something was bothering her and I finally pestered her until she blurted it out." Roy's cheeks redden with chagrin at knowing something that her own family did not.

"Joe...what if he did....hurt her like that? She barely survived the first time; she told me so herself. If it happened again....I just don't know...." Johnny's voice trailed off not wanting to verbalize what he was frightened of.

Roy's hand was still clamped to his friend's shoulder when he started to respond to Johnny's question. Then he glanced up to see his wife slowly walking towards them. He took a short intake of air that was noticed by his partner. Although banged up she never looked so beautiful to him; her hair still plastered to her head, along with the various bruises and scraps that littered her petite frame.

With a quick squeeze on Roy's knee Johnny told him that he was alright and to go embrace his wife. He was answered with a glance that said, "Are you sure?" He reaffirmed with a small crooked smile; even though at the moment he was extremely jealous of his brother being able to take his love into his arms.

He all but sprinted the short distance that it took to reach her; all while taking in the sight before him. Like everyone else the exhaustion was clearly written all over her face; with dark circles encompassing her deep velvet brown eyes. Each and every time he looked into those beautiful irises he was taken back to when they had met the first time when they were only kids themselves. Even at the age where boys think that girls are yucky he instantly knew that there was something special about the little girl in pigtails.

Now he wanted to squeeze and hold onto her with all of his remaining might but didn't want to cause her any pain by touching any of the injuries that were scattered over her body. However she didn't seem to share his concern and flung herself into his open arms; holding onto him with whatever strength she had left. It felt as though it had been years rather than days since she had last held him close to her body.

Then she pulled her face from his shoulder to ask him a question to which she feared the answer. "How is she...? Is she....?" The last word to her question was so painful she couldn't even speak it.

"She's alive...." The expression in his vivid blue eyes told her that the condition may only be temporary.

"What aren't you saying Roy?" She glanced over at Johnny who now had his face in his hands with his elbows propping them up resting on his knees. Joe had his hands on Gage's knees as he continued speaking to him in a comforting tone.

"She is alive but she started hemorrhaging before the chopper landed....it could be something simple or something far worse. There just isn't any way to know if they can save her...." His voice broke and his eyes could no longer house the torrent of tears that now spilled down his cheeks as he turned back to look at his brother once again. He had nearly lost his wife and now two of his best friends could still lose their lives; it was just too much to contain.

It was then that he felt a hand pat down on his opposite shoulder. His head moved to identify the source and he saw Kel standing next to him. The doctor's eyes were red rimmed from the same aliment that Roy himself now had. He held the paramedic's eyes for a moment of two before heading towards the dark haired man sitting down with his fellow doctor by his side.

"Johnny...Joe..." He made his introductions before sitting down beside Gage. He noted the same expression of grief, anger and confusion that he was certain was on his face as well.

Looking to his colleague he inquired with a simple nod as to the condition of his dear friend. "How is she? I heard some of what you were saying on the radio..."

"She started hemorrhaging before we could land...it could be anything; the bullet struck her in the back, a couple of millimeters off the mid-line, in between the scapula. She's dehydrated, beaten and her hands look like hamburger..." The elder physician stopped short of stating the obvious medical reasons for her not to survive the surgery itself.

After holding a stare that communicated so much more than mere words, both of them turned their attention to Johnny who was remaining so still it was unnerving. They both also were trying to find some way of comforting the man they had come to regard with much respect and considered a friend. They couldn't blame him for shutting down; it was remarkable enough that any of them had been able to keep it together for this entire time, considering what had been at stake.

After a couple of more minutes of silence; with out looking up he asked the question that Joe himself had started to ask. "How's Dixie?"

He had been so lost in his own pain and worry that he hadn't been able to focus any of his energy on what was happening with her. He felt badly about that since he cared deeply for her as well; she was a very close friend to all of the paramedics. Roy and Joanne heard the inquiry and came up behind Joe waiting for information as well.

"When we brought her in her condition hadn't deteriorated but was still very critical. She wasn't stable enough for surgery but there really wasn't any other choice; that bullet has to come out and all the damage it created repaired; otherwise she has no chance at all." Kel finished rattling off the facts; his surgical self taking over at least for the time being.

A dead silence once again overcame the friends as they tried to comprehend what they should be doing now; just waiting seemed to be so futile that there had to be something else that could be done. The elevator doors made a familiar swooshing sound as they open. The gang looked up to see Marco and Brice walking towards them.

As the men approached they both were uncertain as to how to explain what had happened on board the Huey. They were in agreement that they did what needed to be done; what A.J. would have wanted them to do. Their fear was that their friends and colleagues wouldn't feel the same way about their decision. I mean after all they had literally had this scum bags life in their hands. Had they done the right thing?

Marco was searching the faces of his secondary family as he approached them; his mind racing to see if the news was good or bad. Like his own their skins was taunt, shadowy and more pale than usual. He wasn't certain if he could bear to hear the answers to his questions. Was this whole incident only going to become even more devastating?

Brice was now officially driven past the point of caring about what his co-workers thought about him. He had forced himself to remain cool, calm and collected; forcing himself to let Gage ride with her, instead of him. He was tired of being the reasonable one; now he wanted to know exactly what was happening with his partner. But what if it were the worst news possible?

"Hey Guys...what's the news?" Marco was the first to get the words out; with a grimace upon his face. Glancing over he saw tears brimming in his temporary partner's eyes. They had been through Hell and back the last few days and he now had a window into the attributes that A.J. saw in the man.

Taking the lead as he did in his role as Chief of Trauma Kel stood up and walked over to the two men and began to explain everything that had happened with Dixie and A.J. He noted a secondary struggle with in the pair and decided to at some point to find out exactly what that was.

The three men were still in deep conversation when Hank Stanley came around the corner from the pay phones. He had left the waiting room a few minutes prior to update the crew of the 110; they still had not been told any news about their favorite paramedic. It was actually almost an hour after he had arrived at Rampart with his crew before it even dawned on him that he needed to contact Captain Morgan.

He was beyond embarrassed and ashamed that he had left them out of the loop; after all she was just as important to them as she was to him. Morgan felt the same sense of responsibility and of 'family' as Hank and the crew of 51 did. Danny and Hank were not exactly close friends, yet shared a camaraderie that comes with being officers. He respected the man and how he commanded the 110 but secretly believed that of the two he was her favorite; they shared a genuine friendship that he had come to rely on.

The both shifts were actually do to start their next 24 hour shift early this morning but obviously the men of Station 51 had had other tasks to worry about. Since their families were in grave danger Hank had called in to Headquarters and advised them of the situation. Although it was most likely the first time in the history of the department; Headquarters agreed to find replacements for the entire crew of the engine and the squad.

As he came around the corner he was pleased to see his engineer and even Brice. This meant now all of them were accounted for and most was in reasonable shape all things considered. Brice was all but crying and obviously pushed far beyond the limit of logical and ration that he was accustomed to. Hank noted that he needed to get to know the young man better; if A.J. could see something good in the guy then it must be there.

Marco looked as though he was going to drop over any second; he posture was slumped and defeated. Normally his skin was a deep bronze; now it was a pallor pale comparison. Hank knew how much he cared for the young woman that had so drastically changed their lives both professionally and personally. Now he hoped and prayed that he wouldn't have to attend any funerals.

Johnny abruptly stood up startling the doctors around him. His movement was immediately noticed by his partner and Joanne. They walked towards him curious to see what he intended to do. His gate was long and purposeful as he quickly arrived at his destination.

His voice was clear and demanding, "Where is he? Where is the....?" His rage was building to such intensity that he couldn't even finish the question.

Marco was temporarily taken aback by the expression on his co-worker's face; it was redden and twisted into an unrecognizable shape. He of course understood where it was coming from and in his position he would have probably been even less composed.

"He was taken into surgery....Johnny....." Craig was unsure of how to proceed he wanted to tell him the truth but was afraid of the possible repercussions.

"What's wrong with him? Why didn't you just let him die?!" Gage was beyond reason; he couldn't imagine what would possess this man to save the bastard who almost killed his partner.

"I am wondering if he Sheriff was thinking the same thing.....he left us alone with him to go and talk to the pilot..." Marco had regained his ability to speak and figured that his friend deserved to know everything that happened.

"You mean that you had the chance to finish what I started and you STILL didn't take it?!! Johnny's voice was getting louder by the inquiry.

A hand reappeared on his shoulder and with out taking a glance Gage already knew that it was Roy; the one person whose opinion mattered most to him under most any circumstances.

"Johnny.....please...." His partner pleaded with him.

"NO, Roy I don't get it, really I don't!! You had the opportunity to end this...to kill the monster who...who....." Gage's tone gave away the anger and helplessness that he felt.

"I wanted to watch him die! Don't you understand? I wanted more than anything to kill him with my bare hands!" Craig was now in a mode that no one, with the exception of his gravely wounded partner had ever witnessed.

"I looked down at him and wanted him to suffer for as long as possible!! She is my best friend!! One of my only friends!!" Although definitely not a soul baring kind of person he needed Gage to understand.

"Then why didn't you? You said you wanted to and the Sheriff was giving you the opportunity...." Johnny's ability to comprehend why there was any dilemma was almost completely diminished.

"Because SHE wouldn't want me to!! As badly as I wanted to kill him I couldn't because I pictured what she would tell me! He was no longer a threat....it wouldn't be been killing in self defense...it would have been murder!" Craig stopped his own tirade and braced himself for the coming verbal if not possibly physical assault.

Brice's last words hit home to the grieving paramedic; his better angels winning this particular battle against his lesser demons. His face dropped, the rage draining from his expression. He took a deep, shuddering breath allowing himself several seconds to collect himself.

Looking at the men who stood before him he regretted taking out his frustrations on them. They both were at heart good people who had never backed down from a fight or an assignment. Marco he had known for years and counted him as one of his close friends. Brice was and still could be a real pain in the ass but he was a good paramedic and had turned out to be a devoted partner to the love of his life; neither one of them deserved the outburst that he had detonated in their faces.

"I'm...I'm sorry...look I know you're right...she wouldn't have wanted...." His apology was interrupted when he noticed Kel turn and stare behind him with renewed tears and a look of trepidation on his face.

When he turned around he could see Dr. Kelsey coming down the hallway towards them, faded splatters and sprays of blood covering the front of his scrubs. He was sliding his surgical cap off of his wavy blond hair; a look of fatigue and pride on his face, along with something else that he couldn't interrupt.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

A swirl of emotions was threatening to drag him down into a pool of hysterics as the younger surgeon walked up to him. What he was about to say could make him the happiest man on the planet or destroy his life as he knew it; he would gladly part with all of his worldly possessions to hear good news right now.

"Scott? How is she? What happened?" Kel's voice betrayed his attempts to remain calm.

"Kel, I won't lie to you it was touch and go....her vitals were shaky and that is putting it mildly. The bullet as you already know collapsed the lung and at first the x-rays made us believe that it had pierced through the heart muscle. After we opened her up we found that it was only resting right beside it, instead of invading it."

Brackett was trying to read the surgeon's expression to see if he should brace himself. Learning the location of the bullet he knew had improved her odds; a far less tricky procedure. Then images appeared of them together snuggling or eating dinner at one of the areas nicest restaurants; her beauty still took his breath away after all of this time. What came next were the still memory photos of her pale and barely breathing; he shook his head in an effort to clear them and to continue listening to the man in front of him.

"We were able to repair all of the damage with relative ease; all considering. Whoever treated her on scene did a good job of keeping the area clean and bandaged which may have cut down on the risk of infection. By re inflating the lung using that technique saved her life; she would have never made it here with out that assist." Dr. Kelsey finished with a small smile of encouragement.

"So can I see her now?" Kel asked politely but his expression told the other doctor that it wasn't in reality a request.

"Sure, but just one person at a time. She's exhausted; along with being severely dehydrated. The fluids and antibiotics will help with that. It might be a while before she regains consciousness." Scott only knew of Brackett professionally but revered him and his accomplishments; even if it wasn't supposed to be obvious just about everyone at Rampart knew of the connection between him and Nurse McCall.

Walking into Recovery Kel noticed the sterile smell of antiseptics; a scent that he hadn't noticed in many years. The room was silent except for the chirping of the monitors located beside the bed that she was laying in. At first glance he noticed that the softness to her ivory skin had reappeared from underneath the grime, cuts and blood that had polluted her svelte body; her hair cleaned of the debris and matting that had overtaken it. In all of these years she had never looked so beautiful to him.

He quietly sat down in one of the chairs in the room and simply stared at her; not being able to imagine life without her in it. He was not yet Chief of Emergency when she came to work at Rampart; of course being a red blooded male he immediately noticed how gorgeous she was. Then he quickly took note that she was an excellent RN; with great compassion for the patients and with an analytical mind to go along with it.

Now she still looked so pale, not the robust yet creamy white tone her skin normally looked like. Even in the hot California summer she never tanned more than a couple of shades beyond her norm. Although it nice to see that she appeared to be resting peacefully instead of in agonizing pain as she had been the last time that he had been with her.

Sighing he gently picked up her hand noticing that her normally impeccably manicured nails were torn, cracked and uneven. "Oh man that is going to be one her first complaints! She's somehow going to get someone to make a house call into the hospital to take care of that!" With that notion entering his mind he started to chuckle a little. Dixie McCall was one tough lady but always made sure that she was 'all prettied up'. Sometimes he would tease her about; asking what she would look like with no make-up on. She would reply that he would never find out. They had each slept over at their respective apartments but to her credit she had never once taken off her mask of beauty.

Although they had been 'dating' each other for a few years, they had never made anything official. Both of them had been burnt plenty of times in the past and didn't want another repeat. Plus they told each other that this way there wouldn't be any tension or complications at work and there never was but not because of any titles that they didn't give each other but because they were both professions first and foremost.

Well that wasn't exactly correct; when she had gotten involved in the paramedic pilot program she made her viewpoints perfectly clear. Initially he had been reluctant, not believing that such a program could possibly work; everything from liability to having hose jockeys trying to play doctor plagued his opinion of it. The events that lead to the first time he saw her lying in a hospital bed was what had ultimately changed his mind. Roy and Johnny had saved her life despite his direct orders not to treat her. Now years later he thanked GOD that these men and of course now one woman were out there in the field saving patients that before the program would have surely died.

"Oh Dix, what am I going to do with you?" He muttered out loud. "You go away for a few days and look at what trouble you get yourself into."

"You have to wake up my dear! I won't take no for an answer! I know that I usually let you have the last word but this time...." He realized how it would sound if a nurse walked in right now; with him talking to himself but decided that if it made a difference then he really didn't give a damn.

"Everyone is safe now....A.J. was hurt but she going to be just fine. The both of you apparently were like a couple of den mothers out there! You did it; you made sure that everyone was safe! Now you have to come back to me, darling. You have to wake up and let me see those big beautiful eyes..." Of course he had no way of knowing about A.J.'s condition but figured that being positive was key for both of them.

"You know this whole we're not really in a relationship thing isn't working for me anymore....I mean who are we kidding? You think there is a single member of the staff that doesn't know that you want me?" He figured if nothing else was working then maybe goading her into verbal match of wits would do the trick.

"After all I am great looking; with a great sense of humor. I have been told that I am very charismatic too....."

She had been hearing a voice in the distance talking to her; pleading with her. Her mind was still very foggy and she couldn't seem to make her body work. Where was she? Was she dead? She didn't think so because she never imagined death as being a painful state and right now she wasn't exactly in her happy place. She couldn't really hear any specific words or sentences that were coming from the disembodied voice; only knowing that whatever it was saying was for her benefit.

As the fog began to lift she realized that it was Kel was calling her name and speaking to her. She could hear the sadness and pain in the gruff, base tone of his voice. She still couldn't concentrate on every word but as the darkness eased into the corners of her head; she could hear him bragging about himself.

"You forgot arrogant, egotistical and insufferable...." A small, weak voice responded in turn. Her eye lids felt as though they were being weighed down with tiny dumb bells but she managed to open them up a bit.

His head snapped up and he looked down at her angelic looking face. At first he didn't see any moment or change in her expression and thought that he must have imagined hearing that delicate voice. As he continued to focus on her he was privileged to see her long dark eyelashes move slightly as she slowly opened her eyes for him.

"Dix? Dixie can you hear me?" He was praying for a response, any response at all.

"What do you think? I mean here I am trying to catch up on a little sleep and all I can hear is you puffing yourself up like some peacock in heat!" Although still weak her tone was stronger and her sense of humor was apparently intact.

"Oh GOD Baby! How do you feel? Hey, are you still with me?" He asked with urgency when she didn't immediately respond to his questions.

"Kel.....?" She opened her eyes wider this time; only to see him visibly shaking as he continued to openly sob.

He couldn't stop himself any longer; what had amounted to a few tears flowing from his tear ducts now amounted to a continuous waterfall that streamed down his broad face. All of the stress and heartache that had been building up like a dormant volcano had now erupted and was unstoppable. There was so much regret at never voicing his true emotions to her or anyone else; something he almost didn't have the chance to rectify.

With some effort she reached over and took his hand in hers and squeezed it to make sure he understood that she still with him. At first he barely acknowledged it; not even returning her physical affection.

"Kel...hey it's OK...really I was just joking around...." She tried to re enforce the lightness in her speech to make him understand.

"Oh Dix. You have no idea...I really thought that I had lost you. I couldn't bear that. Do you understand? All that time searching and finding clues that told a horrible story of what must have happened....I thought I was going to lose my mind!!" He lowered his volume once he realized that he was shouting.

"Forget what anyone else thinks!! I just don't care anymore! I won't live one more day not telling you something that I should have said a long time ago! Dixie McCall, I love you....you hear me I LOVE YOU!"

With a huge smile on her face she looked at him adoringly; she had always known how he had felt. It was never just a fling or some kind of affair of that she was always certain. "Why Dr. Brackett...don't you think that every single staff member in this hospital has known for a very long time that you just want to jump my bones?!!!"

He began to laugh one of those deep down 'belly laughs' that came from a place of joy, elation and promise of a new tomorrow. He now knew that she had indeed heard some of what he had been saying to her. They both knew that there still could be the complication of infection but they would cross that bridge if and when they came to it; for now he was talking to the woman that he would now say loud and proud that he loved.

"So everyone else is here? They are all going to be OK?" As the words left her mouth she could see by Kel's reaction that she was wrong in her assumptions. "Kel, don't stop being honest with me now..."

"Honey, it's A.J. she was wounded too....one of those bastards shot her. Then he dragged her off with him. He was going to...rape her; she was able to stop him...I think. Johnny and Roy got there just in time; right before he was going to shoot her again." He wanted to sugar coat it for her but also knew that she would see right through it.

"Oh no, Oh GOD NO! Is she alright now? I mean is she in surgery, in recovery? Where is she now? How's Johnny?" She had so many questions that her brain was trying to sort all of them out.

"Baby, you have to calm down alright? You need to rest...OK, OK...I'll tell you everything I know." He was trying to bargain with her. "That's only if you take it easy, OK?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Johnny was pacing back and forth in the hallway like a caged lion at the zoo. The others had went back into the waiting room to make sure everyone was up to speed about the condition of their friends. After receiving Joanne's blessing Roy was the only one other than Joe who remained with Gage. They both did not want him to be alone in this dire time; the last thing that A.J. needed was to find out that her fiancé had passed out from exhaustion.

He was trying to access some of that great faith that she always talked about with him; while teaching him both the spiritual connection of the Lakota and of the Christian devotion. She would tell him that she had discovered that the way that the Lakota revered the Great Spirit and how Christians looked at GOD were quite similar and that the basics were mutual. Her paternal family members were Christian but still held onto the old traditions; she had been taught to respect both halves of heritage and to learn from both them as well.

Now he found comfort in something, although he couldn't give it a name. His being able to sense and hone in on her the entire time leading to when he beheld the sight of her guardian angel that had saved her again like the times before. All of those were ideals that he had never totally ruled out but had never been convinced were true; of course that had all changed. What he needed was to see her, hold her, to have tangible evidence that everything was going to turn out alright. He refused to believe that all of his effort to find her had been for nothing. He had secretly searched long and hard to find that woman that would be more than just another hot date for him to brag about; now that he had it, losing it simply wasn't an option.

At least the news about Dixie was positive; now he could focus his energy without feeling guilty for not worry about her just as much. He smiled inside as he thought of Brackett's reaction when he learned that she had made it through surgery and that her prognosis good. He felt relief for himself as well; she was such a huge part of Rampart and their lives. He understood completely when he almost literally jumped for joy; even though it was a little amusing. Dr. Kelly Brackett was not usually a very demonstrative man, at least not at work but in this case his outburst was beyond warranted.

Roy watched his brother burn holes in the tiles of the corridor; it was starting to make him dizzy. He felt ashamed that he was relieved that he wasn't pacing in his place. It was hard enough to consider the grim possibilities when it was his 'sister'; he didn't think he could have held up this well if he were in Gage's shoes. Obviously losing her would prove to be the hardest thing he would ever have had to do but trying to help Johnny deal with it, that terrified him. His entire life and being had been taken 'hostage' since the first day they had met. Could he even recover?

Joe looked on at the two paramedics with the same awe that he felt every time they came in the emergency wing. He had been a proponent of the program from the start and knew it was exactly what his niece would be interested in. It never crossed his mind that she would find that one man that would make her life complete. He knew long before either one of them did that they had a connection; one that was obvious to Dixie as well he later found out.

He was putting off contacting his sister and her husband because there was no way of knowing what was happening in that surgical room. Even if the worst case scenario were coming to bear and he called them this very moment it wouldn't give them enough time to get here before it was too late. So he was telling himself that he was waiting until there was some kind of news to report. The fact A.J. had inherited 'the gift' from her father meant that he probably already knew something was wrong with his little girl and would be awaiting his phone call.

The minutes had stretched into hours and the waiting room was becoming more unbearable by the second. The three men continued their non verbal conversation with different glances and stares from time to time; any actual words of comfort had been offered up a long time ago.

Inside soft, quiet discussions were taking place amongst the friends; each one rejoicing in the survival of Dixie and fretting over the condition of the other woman. All of them were experiencing the same feelings of helplessness and impatience; the adrenaline that had been pumping in overdrive was now running on empty. They had been advised to go home and catch up on some much needed rest but all of them refused to do so until they knew the fate of their friend.

Then came the moment of truth when another surgeon came into the corridor; with similar patterns of crimson staining his scrubs; the question was whether or not he was going to give news of hope or crushing defeat. The man glanced around looking for the party to report to; he was relatively new to Rampart and had not gotten to know all of the paramedic staff as of yet. Then he spotted Dr. Early and started towards him.

"Joe..." He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Johnny began firing off his own.

"How is she? What kind of damage was there? Was she....I mean did he hurt her?" Gage was hoping that he didn't have to say the actual word to describe what he meant.

"John, give him a second...." Joe chided him in a gentle tone. The doctor nodded at his colleague to continue.

"First off...she pulled through the surgery like a real champion; I will tell you that she is certainly a fighter. There were a few times where we thought we were going to lose her but she surprised us all."

"The bullet nicked the small intestine which caused her to cough up blood; luckily it was a relatively small perforation. The real challenge was the wounds on her hands; for the most part they are more ugly than damaging. The fiction burns do look horrible but with some topical ointment and keeping the wounds cleaned and bandaged it should heal quickly." He took a small pause to allow the three men to digest what he had just covered.

"The gash into her left hand was of some concern to the specialist who first evaluated it. The flesh was slashed down to the bone but there was little tendon or muscle involvement; which means that after it heals and with a some physical therapy she should regain 100% dexterity, strength and movement in it."

"We're going to monitor her breathing; right now she's on humidified O2. She receiving steroids to bring down the swelling; when that begins to dissipate then we'll remove the tube."

"To answer your final question Mr. Gage....we did an examination and there was no sign of any trauma...." He gave him an encouraging smile mixed with empathy.

A tidal wave of relief washed over the three men standing side by side; each one taking a moment to glance up towards the heavens acknowledging the miracles they had just been told about. Joe clasped his hand on Johnny's shoulder while Roy lightly punched him in the other shoulder.

"I know that you are all want to see her but only for a few minutes and one at a time. She is still unconscious because of the anesthesia; so don't be alarmed if she isn't very responsive. She was also dehydrated and physically drained; so try not to get her too agitated."

Joe looked over to his soon to be nephew and they shared a loopy grin with each other; when Gage didn't say anything he laughed and said, "Do you even have to ask? Go to her already!!"

The walk seemed more like miles than only several hundred feet as he made his way down the hallway towards the recovery unit; just outside of Surgery. He was trying to brace himself for the sight he would behold momentarily. As he approached the bed that she was occupying he was greeted with the warm smile of Ginger as she passed him.

He was a little surprised to see that she was already awake and staring at the wall opposite of her bed, apparently unaware of her surroundings. When he got closer he could see that she had been crying; the tears leaving wet runners on her angular tan facial features. Her arms invaded by an IV that was pumping antibiotics into her system to hopefully kill off any infections that might have entered her body.

He reached for her hand not realizing that she was not aware of his presence. She recoiled her hand snatching back towards herself as whimpered with the breathing tube down her throat. Her eyes were wide with fright.

"OH GOD! Tehila! I am so sorry!" He carefully backed away and made his way around the other side of the bed to the direction that she was facing.

She was aware of the fact that she was no longer on the mountain side but at Rampart and that she was in a hospital bed; she even knew that she was no longer in any immediate danger. However she wasn't separating herself from the memories and emotions that were overloading her mental abilities. She was picturing him on top of her, recognizing the sound of his zipper being pulled down as he exposed himself. She was enraged that once again she was in the position of being powerless, unable to help her friends or herself.

Then came the phantom pain of when it had happened so many years ago; only now it seemed just as real and agonizing as it did then. Every inch of her felt as though it was on fire and that the suffering was never going to end. She was so wrapped up in her recollection that she had not noticed anyone beside her. When a hand grabbed her own she envisioned that once again she was under attack and would have to fight for her life once more.

He sat gingerly in the seat on that side of the bed; watching her the whole time gauging on whether or not she was aware of his presence. He felt like such a fool for not taking the time to make certain that she knew it was him and not someone out to hurt her. Now he sworn he would do it right and make sure that he didn't scare her again.

"Tehila, sweetheart it's me....it's Johnny. No one is going to hurt you anymore...I promise you that. Please, look at me...I am right here and I am not going anywhere. You're safe...I won't let anything happen to you...."

Not noticing any real reaction he continued on. "Baby, can you hear me? Please bring yourself back here to me. We all need you darling..." Johnny went on pleading with her.

She was having an emotional and spiritual debate deep within her own psyche; one side offering to allow her to be swallowed whole into the comforting darkness. That side had already made it's case why it would be the better of two options. Then the dark clouds thinned out slightly when her angels began singing the reasons for her to fight to come back towards the light.

"You weren't helpless this time! You stopped him before he could take that away from you! You saved Alice from going through that again! Without you and Dixie none of them would have gotten off that mountain!"

"You have people that love you and would do anything for you! Johnny is here, right now. Let him love you; you both deserve that! You can't let the bastards win but just giving up!"

As she breathed in she could smell his natural scent; even with no cologne or after shave on Johnny always had this distinctive smell that greeted her nostrils whenever she was close to him. That was what she was detecting now as she finally made her choice.

Closing his eyes he began to chant another one of the Lakota prayers that she had taught him; he needed every source of strength that he could get a hold of. The rhythm of each word to flow from his lips as he asked for the courage and patience to see his love through this.

He was blessed and a little startled when her hand slid up against his; her strength zapped allowing this minimal response. "Tehila?"

She blinked her green blue eyes several times trying to signal him; the tears still freshly streaming down. He slowly brought the back of his hand to her face and gently stroked the non bruised side of her face. She rewarded him with her fingers lightly brushing up against his hand that lay on the bed; both lovers acknowledging the bond that had brought them back in each other's arms or least hands for the time being.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The simple silence between the two of them spoke volumes; their eyes focused only on each other. For Johnny that moment was more precious than any other in his life; to once again see the vividly colored irises of his soul mate.

"Hey Sweetheart....I knew you could do it...no don't try and talk..." He carefully raised his fingers to her swollen lips. "Your throat closed up from the....injury to your neck. There are some steroids going into you; as soon as they start doing their magic they'll pull out the tube; just try and relax, Baby." He spoke softly in love but with undertones of giving an order. The last thing she needed was to aggravate her breathing.

She was so happy to see him; she was afraid that if she closed her eyes even if for a moment that he would disappear and the nightmare would begin again. So she chose instead to enjoy the warmth of his hands as he stroked what little exposed skin was on her hands. He looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot, with dark shadows both encircling the skin around them and also in the shinning coal black centers. Even through it all she could still read him like a book; anguish and rage intermixed with fear and guilt.

A few short years ago he would have never pictured himself in the position that women like Emily Stanley and Joanne were faced with every single shift that their husbands worked. Since the first time that he convinced her to go out on a date he had quickly begun to comprehend the stress and anxiety that it created for he now knew both sides of the coin. However he knew that he could never ask her to be anything other than who she was meant to be; he realized that her commitment and passion for rescue work ran as deep as his own.

In this case her brush with death had nothing to do with their line of work; if anything the experience she had in the Army and the fire service was partly the reason why all of them had survived. He had too many times seen the evil in this sometimes cruel world but never before had it affected him on such as deep personal level; nor had he ever felt such unending hatred for the ones who had caused so much pain to so many people. If the sole remaining son of a bitch survived his surgery Johnny was uncertain what he would be capable of doing.

Her physical discomfort was minimal with the morphine flowing along side of the steroids in her veins. That form of pain she could deal with; it was the more sinister fears and torment that she was scared to face head on. She had never really brought any of those things to light from ten years ago; instead she had successfully buried it just deep enough to deal with everyday life. Her relationship with Johnny was the closest she had come to being 'normal'; with him she was completely honest with her feelings and needs. Last Christmas had been a milestone when she entrusted Roy and Joanne with her darkness from her past.

Now her hands were the main cosmetic reminder of what she had endured over the last few days. They were bandaged so thickly that even if she had wanted to flex her fingers it would be impossible; not that she even thought about it. The stiff, tingling, throbbing sensations that were shooting throughout was enough for her to leave them be for the time being.

"Great..." She thought to herself. "More scars to add to my collection...."

"Don't sweat it....I told you before that chicks with scars turn me on...." His voice broke through her pondering; as she gazed up taking note of his loopy grin.

She stared at him in wonder with a tiny grin on her sculpted face despite the tube going down her throat. She had always been able to see inside of him and was able to read his thoughts and fears; a trait that had been given to her by nature and nourished by her family. Now it appeared that he had honed yet another skill and could do the same for her; something that she was grateful to have.

Despite his own pain he had been able to give some of his positive energy to her; it flowed from his fingers and into her own body giving her strength. Even in her elation she knew that her journey was going to be long and difficult but looking at him she knew that it would be worth it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before the end of the following day both representatives from both sides of her family had arrived in California. The reunion consisted of her parents and both sets of grandparents. Her father's parents reached their destination before the rest of them simply because they had far less distance to get there; since they lived in South Dakota. The others resided in Pennsylvania; which meant the time consuming hassle of arranging for a flight so they could see their daughter as quickly as humanly possible.

Joe's assumptions had been correct her father had a gut feeling that something had befallen his Little Wicinca; so when he had picked up the phone and Joe was on the other end he knew that it wasn't good news. Bill Whitewolf had been and was still so proud that she had chosen to take the chance on the paramedic program. What he naturally hated was that it meant that she would be so far away from them; from almost her entire family. Well with the exception of his favorite brother-in-law; Joe was a good man and a watchful guardian over his only child.

In pairs they each had the chance to see her and offer both words of encouragement and distress over the situation. Her paternal grandfather was the exception amongst her grandparents; he knew that being a rescue firefighter was what she was destined to be and not simply a choice. The others loved her dearly but thought she was doing a man's job. So even though this incident had nothing to do with any of that; they still didn't have a hard time making their opinions known.

Even though it an argument that they knew they would never win it didn't stop them from trying. Johnny patiently played referee marveling how interesting and enjoyable having a large family could be. He also reveled in the attention that they gave to him; long before he had even asked her to marry him they had already started treating him like family. He had never experienced the kind of bond that they all had with each other; the differences in culture between her maternal and paternal sides were great but it didn't seem to matter.

After seeing her for the first time her mother Ruth came out of the room with tears in her eyes and her husband walking with his arm around her shoulders. She was a petite woman and Bill had to almost stoop down to rest his arm around her.

"Oh Johnny!" She ran to him with open arms that he readily accepted with a hug of his own.

They walked into one of the unoccupied waiting rooms for a little privacy. It was dimly lit but had seats to accommodate the three of them who looked equally exhausted. He helped lower her into one of the seats; as he looked into her eyes he was quickly reminded of how in many ways she was like her mother. Ruth had the biggest heart of anyone he had ever met; like mother like daughter.

"Listen to me...please...I know how bad she looks right now. They took out the breathing tube a few hours before you got here; and she hasn't stop jabbering ever since!" Johnny smiled with the knowledge that with out even looking up he knew there was a broad grin on Bill's face.

"Seriously....she's going to be alright. The damage to her hands isn't permanent, the docs are proud of their patch job. It's a miracle in itself but there doesn't seem to be any infection popping up in her system." He stopped when he saw his soon to be father-in-law sitting in the chair next to his wife.

"What is going to happen to the monsters that did this?" Bill asked with understandable rage in his deep voice; from what little they had been told he knew there was more than one attacker.

"There were four of them all together...." Johnny pondered how much of the little details that he knew he wanted to tell them.

"One of them was killed in a trap that the women set for them.... She found one of them assaulting one of her friends...she killed him and another one that almost killed her...." He watched different levels of horror appear on the gentle woman's delicate face. He hated being so blunt but didn't know how else to go about it.

"What about the forth man?" Bill wanted to find him and kill him with his bare hands.

"Between her and I we beat the shit out of him. She grappled with him and when I got there...he was going to shoot her...again. So I tackled him and disarmed him..." He stopped waiting for a reaction.

"You mean that son of a bitch is HERE? WHERE is he now?" Bill needed to see the bastard that nearly took away his pride and joy.

"You don't have to bother, Bill. He developed a blood clot in his lung....he died in surgery...." Gage recalled when Morton had informed him of timely death of the most hated man in Los Angeles County.

"Look, we're going to take our parents back to your place. All of us need some rest and then we can take the furry ones off of your neighbor; she's been so wonderful taking care of them for you." Ruth spoke up; breaking the awkward silence that had settled amongst themselves. She fully understood her husband's inquiry and although she abhorred violence she was more than pleased that the pathetic excuse for a human being was dead; sparing her daughter from a trial.

"That is a great idea; when you get there thank her for me, please. I am going to stick around and see if there is anything else I can do for her or any of the others." Gage was grateful to see them but wanted some more time alone with her; so he was more than eager to agree with their plans.

"You promise to call us if there are any changes?" Bill looked into the eyes of the man that he was already proud to call son. This man was the best thing to ever happen to his daughter and he knew that that ran both ways. He knew that Johnny never really talked about his own family leading him to believe that it was far from picturesque. That would no longer be an issue because he now had what Bill suspected he had always wanted, parents and a family that would love and care for him in good times and in times like now.

"Absolutely! Either Joe or I will call." Johnny promised them as he walked them down the corridor to meet with the rest of her family.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe sat in the hospital room that he rarely came into in a professional capacity. Most of his work lies directly in the emergency department itself; his job was mainly to diagnosis and initially treat the patients when they first came into Rampart; sometimes including surgery. After that they were assigned to other doctors on the floor in separate departments.

He noticed how absolutely silent it was; except for the consistent beeping of the machine monitoring her vitals. He like the rest of the staff was optimistic about her beating the last hurtles of her recovery. So far the broad spectrum antibiotics seemed to have fought off any germs that must have invaded her immune system during the entire ordeal.

His fears now rode on whether or not she could work through what had happened on that mountain side. The silver lining was that according to the physical exam it didn't appear that she had been raped....this time. However, it was evident from what Johnny had told him that it wasn't from lack of trying. Her cloths had been tattered and torn and her attacker was 'exposed' when he and Roy first found her.

He felt guilty for not mentioning any of this to Bill and Ruth; after all they were her parents. He was now in the same situation as Johnny; holding a secret from those who loved her most. Deep down though he knew he was doing the right thing; it had to be her choice. He only hoped that someday she would let them in on her pain. Now as he watched her he wanted to ask her to explain to him why she didn't tell him what had happened or anyone else for that matter.

Was it because she didn't feel safe or trust any of them enough? He couldn't imagine that to be true. Was it because she was too traumatized to bring it to light; like maybe if she just didn't talk about it, it would just go away? He had always counted on their close relationship and he knew that she was especially close to her parents, so the latter seemed more plausible.

"Joe? Is that you?" She whispered; her throat was still sore from the breathing tube being in place before.

"Yes Honey, it's me. I'm sorry, did I wake you?" He moved a little closer to her bedside; after he was certain that she was fully awake and realized who he was.

"No, really it's OK. I was....I was dreaming and....." What she didn't say was how grateful she was to wake up and realize that it was just a dream. In reality the dream was a blend of replays of what had just happened a couple of days ago and the unbearable torment that had occurred over a decade before.

What she wasn't even remotely prepared for was the haunting look in his eyes when she met them with her own. For a second her mind began to panic thinking of Dixie and the idea that something must have gone wrong and he was reacting to that. When she took the time to gaze into them a bit longer she could see a mosaic of swirling emotions; rage, concern, confusion and pity. In an instant came the realization that after all of these years her dearest uncle knew about her dirty little secret...the one that she hadn't revealed to anyone except her Waste and their extended family.

When he stared at her he immediately took note of her expression and body language; before he could come to a decision about whether or not he should bring up the subject, it was made for him. Her eyes darted downwards but not before he caught the main emotion in them...shame.

He brought his large hands to her chin and gently moved it back up to meet his crystal blue eyes once again. "Now, I won't have any of that; you've absolutely NOTHING to be ashamed of."

"Oh JOE! I am so sorry I didn't tell you! I couldn't....I just couldn't! I didn't tell anyone...I tried to make it all go away...." She desperately needed to make him understand.

"I'm not angry you! Please, if you can understand one thing let it be that. I wish you would have let me in on what was hurting you; I would have done whatever it took to help you..." His make an effort to make certain that the tone of his voice reflected his words.

"I know that, so would Mom and Dad and the others...." She could clearly recall the debate that she had with herself back then.

"Then why? Why wouldn't you let us help you...be there for you?" He figured now that it was all out in the open he would ask the question that had been burning a mark in his brain since he had come to the realization of what had happened to her.

"Partly because for a very long time I felt deep down like it was my fault. I had walked into the small town to the east of the reservation where I had always been told not to go. 'They' always said that everyone there hated Indians and I did it on a dare. If I had listened and not been so pigheaded..."

"Stop right there, Young Lady! There is absolutely nothing that you could have done, at ALL to deserve what was done to you....NOTHING! Besides you have a right to go anywhere in the world that you want to go!" The calmness in his voice evaporating at the notion that she would believe otherwise.

With a tender smile she placed her bandaged hand on top of his. "You sound just like Johnny; that is exactly what he told me."

"Well I always said that he has a good head on his shoulders!" Joe lowered his voice a little when he realized that she no longer thought that way.

"The other reason was that I was afraid of what you or Dad would have done if you found out, especially if Tunkasila did. You know he would have gone after them; then he would have been arrested or worse. They would have said that a crazy Indian attacked some law abiding white men; at best he would have been beaten, at worst they could have lynched him." She did her best not to stammer when she was speaking.

Joe didn't argue that logic; he was well aware of the prejudice in some areas that still existed. There were those near the reservation who wouldn't have been beyond 'taking care of' a Red Skin who stood up for his granddaughter. He imagined himself in her position; if she told someone to get help it could have ended in disaster.

Before she could even ask him he laid some of her fears to rest. "I haven't told anyone else; only you can make that decision. Oh and I think you already know this but neither Johnny, Roy or Joanne told me anything. I finally figured it out by myself....."

"Thank you for telling me that but you are right.....I knew that none of them would betray me like that." Of all of the things that she was unsure of, the loyalty of those three wasn't one of them.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly; one of her greatest fears had been Joe finding out. She still wasn't sure why; beyond the reason that she revealed. He was one of the gentlest, kindest men that she had ever known; a trait that had been confirmed right now in this room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another two days had passed and neither A.J. or Dixie showed any signs of relapse; so it was determined that they could finish recovering at home. Just about the entire hospital had come to see the local celebrities. Thankfully none of the media outlets discovered what could have become a national headline; none of the people involved wanted their pictures plastered everywhere or constant calls for interviews.

A.J.'s comrades from Station 110 had stopped in to see how their favorite paramedics were doing. Captain Morgan had joked around with her; chiding her for not showing up for her shifts. The others begged and pleaded with her to hurry up and get better because Brice had returned to duty that day and his temporary replacement was an even bigger stick in the mud! They laughed long and hard telling her this new guy was so bad that even Brice walked around muttering about wanting to slug him.

She was physically improving rapidly; the only wound presenting any kind of real challenge was her still bandaged hands. Dr. Brackett had consulted with the surgeons who did the work and said that they would be wrapped up to some extent for a couple of weeks or so. As soon as her incisions became stable she had begun physical therapy and would continue to come back in for a few more sessions, all while doing them at home as well.

Her emotional state was on a roller coaster with moments of clarity where she felt freed from the past; partially because another person in her life now knew the truth and partially because she had won at least one battle. This time around she had saved herself from that kind of attack; because she was able to rely on her training and instincts Alice had also been spared.

The other end of the spectrum was that although actual penetration had not occurred every other part of the nightmare had. Dixie had still be shot and Alice was still only partially coherent and then only with Mike. It was so odd and sad that none of her family had come to visit her or even call. It wasn't that she was lonely; Mike had taken some vacation time to stay by her side.

In any case she was more than ready to leave the hospital; remembering that she definitely preferred to bring patients in rather than be one herself. It had been over a week since she had been able to cuddle her furry family of two dogs and two cats. She wasn't worried about them since her parents and grandparents had been staying there taking care of their every need.

She knew that it would be along time before she was ready to again start her physical relationship with Johnny; not that she was close to being worried that he would push the issue. That wasn't even a possibility; he would never do anything to hurt her or scare her. No, what she missed right now was his intense body heat lying next her; his strong protective arms wrapped tightly around her. With him by her side she could look a head at the sunrise of hope; knowing that with time and lots of help from her those who loved her she would begin to feel whole again.

He could not wait until she was home again; the house was crowded with their family but it still seemed so empty. Even the station house didn't feel right knowing that he wouldn't run into her on any calls. One thing was for certain and that was that the replacement paramedic for Brice was amazingly a bigger pain in the ass than Brice ever was; which was until now an urban legend that such a person could exist. He and Roy actually cried in a fit of giggles after one call where Ted McMahon actually questioned Brice's knowledge of the rules and regulations! For the first time in history Craig lost his temper while one duty; nearly punching out the other man. Johnny had no doubt in the world that Brice was going to kiss the ground that she walked on when she came back to work.

Taking his time recalling the best shift since this all happened he strode down the hallway with the wheelchair that was going to transport her to his Ranger Rover and then to home. She was healed enough to walk on her own; it was just because of hospital regulations. Making love to her was something that he was going to look forward to but did not expect to anytime soon. Right now he was more than content to hold her in his arms and lay beside her ready to chase away any demons that were still creeping into her mind from time to time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dixie sat in the recliner at the house that Kel had bought a little over a year ago; which had surprised her. He had always said that he was more than happy to not have any property to take care of or deal with all of the work that owning a home entailed. She had suspected that he had been toying away with the idea of asking her to move in with him. Neither one of them had even come close to bringing up the whole marriage issue; not even when one of her past loves had come into Rampart after being mauled by a lion that had gotten loose on a movie set.

There was a larger part of her that wanted him to ask and another part that was terrified because she didn't know if that was something that she wanted. It was kind of silly since she often spent the night with; then drove in separately so not to induce any rumors. It wasn't that she doubted her love for him; it was more that when it came down to it she was afraid of having the same mistakes happen that had destroyed her other relationships.

"Dix? Is everything alright?" He could see she was lost in thought; since her home coming he had been a little overprotective. He was sensing that she was feeling like he was hovering.

"Yes Kel, I was just doing some thinking after all that's all I've been able to do this past week...." Her voice was edged with frustration.

"What were you thinking?" He took in a deep breath because he was hoping that they were on the same page. Seeing her sitting there he never wanted to go to bed one more night not having her here with him.

"I realize that we both have done this dance with each other for years now...we both had our own reasons and fears. Maybe it's high time that we stop making excuses." She looked over and took in his beautiful eyes and handsome face.

"I am going to take a big leap of faith here and just put it all on the table. Kel, I don't want to go back to my apartment."

Sitting down in the chair across from her; he inhaled just as deeply and replied. "You can stay here till you feel stronger or as long as you want to...." He left the sentence hanging praying that he was understanding her correctly.

"Is forever alright with you?" She stood up with some extra effort and walked over to him. Taking care to not move too quickly she sat down in his lap and brought her manicured fingers to his broad face. She was greeted with a long, deep kiss.

_**One more chapter to go! I hope you are still enjoying it! Please review!**_


	51. Chapter 51

Alright, I said one more chapter and it's turned into 3 more! I am posting these next two right now and the third is almost here! Thanks for the reviews and input, by all means keep it coming!

Chapter 51

Mike had brought Alice home with him after she was released; her mental abilities were still limited. She spoke only in blunt short sentences in emotionless tones and rarely to anyone other than him. The doctors told him that she was more than likely just overloaded by the events that had unfolded. He was assured that the rape exam showed that there was no physical trauma that would lead them to believe that anything of that nature had happened. Deep inside his gut was telling him otherwise; maybe the attack had not been finished but he was certain that something had indeed happened. The way she would shrink away from anyone touching her; even if she knew in advance who it was to the more drastic actions that she would take if she didn't see it coming; all of it made him believe that not only did she suffer those days out there in the wilderness but some other time in her life.

They had never been intimate not in that complete way since they started seeing each other months ago. At first he thought that it was because she wasn't interested in him that way but then came a time where she would kiss him passionately then not proceed any further. He had never pushed the issue and hoped that soon she would explain what she was hiding from him. The connection he felt with her and the fun they had doing everything else would have to be enough. What had made her so afraid to get close?

He knew very little about her family; in fact almost nothing at all. He had managed to get out of her that they were more than just 'well off' and that she had been sent to one of the country's best private schools. Most people would assume that would mean that she had a charmed life with all of its privileges yet in many ways he could always sense her deep sadness. From the beginning he felt the overwhelming need to protect her only he had no clue what dragons he needed to slay.

There was no way that he was going to have her staying at her own apartment; she was too frail for that. Now as he sat in his favorite chair he contemplated what he should next; he couldn't be on vacation time forever. The nice thing was though that he only work one twenty four hour shift at a time and always had at least one day in between before the next. He made a mental note to call Johnny; there was something in the way he had asked about Alice that led him to believe that he might have some answers for him.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T! NOOOO...." High pitched shrieking was coming from his bedroom.

He rushed to the hallway and flung the door open nearly tearing it off the hinges. There on the bed was Alice thrashing around in the midst of a nightmare. For a moment he froze not sure what to do to get her attention; he didn't want to frighten her further by startling her awake not knowing who was touching her.

"Alice...Honey....your dreaming...come on and wake up for me..." He shook her by the shoulders as carefully as he could because she was still sore from the numerous bruises and cuts that covered her body.

At first she fought his embrace while she continued to scream; he was hoping that since it was early afternoon that none of his neighbors were home so he wouldn't have the cops knocking on his door in a few minutes.

"Baby...please...it's me. It's just a bad dream....I won't let anyone hurt you...please Honey..." He was relieved when the thrashing stopped but unsure what to do when it was replaced by sobbing.

"Mike please hold me! Please, don't let me go!" The sobbing continued as she clung to him as a small child might do during a thunderstorm.

"I am not going anywhere, I promise! It's alright.....let it out...all of it...." He was hoping that this was the release that she needed to come out of her emotional fugue.

"I tried...I swear I tried...he was too strong! I thought he was going to kill me! He torn them off....I couldn't stop him! It was going to happen all over again...." She took in a deep breath as her body tried to fight off the hyperventilation that was taking over.

"Shhh, it's alright; I've got you. Do you want to tell me what happened?" He could sense that some of his questions were going to be answered as he tightened his embrace.

"He was going to rape me...." This sentence came out as a hoarse whisper as she started speaking as though she were watching it play out as someone in a theater watching a movie.

"I kicked him and almost got away....then he caught me again. My face was on the ground....he tore off my shorts....then he unzipped his pants...." Her voice was now once again deadpan. Her eyes were staring out into the room, distant and glassy.

Now Mike was desperately trying to contain his rage and so many other emotions that were threatening to violently erupt. The only thing that stopped him was the understanding that she had to unload everything; this was about her and not what he needed.

"What happened next?" He quietly asked her.

"I thought that it was all happening....again; that I wouldn't be able to save myself...again...then suddenly he rolled off of me." She lifted her face and finally looked at him.

"A.J., she saved me...she killed him to save me...." For the first time since that night with her parents she felt the urge to tell someone the truth about everything.

"Is there something else? I mean....you said that it was going to happen again..." He had been watching her body language and expression and thought he was reading that there was something else she wanted to reveal.

She reflexively turned her eyes from his looks of concern; suddenly self conscious and afraid that the truth would be the straw that broke the camels back. What if he learned the entire truth and decided he didn't want to be with someone so damaged? Did she want to take that chance?

Taking the gamble of a lifetime she began to explain. "I can remember wanting to go to the Prom in the worst way..." Her initial tone was almost giddy as if it was a happy memory. "My boyfriend was The Quarterback; you know very popular. He had always been very sweet to me......"

Then as quickly as her smile appeared a look of horror and anguish replaced it; the expression in her tone went from pleasant to flat and lifeless then snapping to enraged and terrified.

"He took me home in his car because I wasn't feeling well...I passed out..."

Then she started to shiver so violently that her body almost slammed back into his; her skin was clammy and cold. He adjusted his embrace trying to cover as much of her exposed skin as he could to warm her up; not realizing that it wasn't a physical chill that was overtaking her.

"Then I woke up to him on top of me; forcing himself on me....it hurt so much...he hurt me so bad....." The wracking sobs shook her body once more; as she struggled to continue to speak.

"He said that he just gave me the drug to relax me and that he knew I really wanted it....that I would like it rough...."

"When I got home I told my parents.....told them that he raped me. Do you know what my mother told me...do you?!" Her voice grew stronger with rage.

"She said it was my fault; that I had lead him on because my dress was too short! She called me a Hoar; said that I should have known better...after all what would any man think...." Now she understood; it had taken a very long time for her to accept that her mother's words were delivered out of spite and not of truth.

"Alice?" He cupped her chin and turned her head ever so slightly so he could gaze into her Kelly green eyes. "Where do your parents live?"

His eyes were ablaze with a level of anger far above mere rage. How could any parent talk to or treat their children with such contempt and hatred? No longer could he contain his own emotions; here lying next to him was a woman who had been not only tortured physically by someone she trusted but then emotionally by the ones who were supposed to be her protectors.

"Why?" In her fragile state of mind the only reason she could come up with is that he felt the need to verify her story because he didn't believe her. Her chin began to quiver and her eyes filled up at the very thought of that.

"For one of two reasons..." He made sure that she was still meeting his gaze.

"First off they need to know exactly how pathetic they are and what a huge mistake they made by treating you that way; secondly, so they can see how successful you have become and what a great catch your boyfriend is...."

He hadn't planned to say the last part of that statement and after it left his lips he prayed that it wouldn't sound like he was trivializing the situation or what she had just told him. He couldn't live with himself if he did anything to make things worse.

She looked at him closely for several seconds, than for just a moment or two the shine came back into her troubled eyes. Had she heard him right? Not only did he believe her he still wanted to be with her, even after what she had just told him?

"You believe me?"

"Of course I do, Sweetheart! Why on earth would you ever believe otherwise?" He was shocked that she would think such a thing.

She just sat there staring at him for a while longer; she was mustering up the courage to ask him something point blank. "You still want to be with me, even after what I just said?"

"You did NOTHING wrong! What he did to you was violent and cruel! You told him to stop and he didn't that doesn't make you weak; he was physically stronger that's all. Why would you think that any of what I know now would make me stop loving you?"

This time around the words that came out of his mouth were exactly what he wanted to say. During the search in the days prior to this moment he had made a pack with himself; that if GOD gave her back to him he would stop hiding from what he felt for this beautiful, compassionate woman.

Did he just say that? Had she heard him right? Was it possible that he felt the same way that she did? She snuggled into his broad, warm chest a little tighter; her body relaxing slightly.

Then in a moment of clarity her mind stopped for a moment and reflected back on something that he had said to her just a few minutes ago. The clouds in the sky parted allowing the warm sun of happiness to flood her soul as she fought back the laughter.

"Good catch, huh? Well don't we think highly of ourselves....." She said with a small but distinctive giggle.

"I was just trying to get your attention...I mean...I don't really think that I am all that good looking...well what I really meant to say is that...." The Mike Stoker that everyone knew and loved shown himself as he continued to stutter.

She pulled away from his embrace and turned to face him; his angular face flushing into a deep beet red. She placed her hands on either side of his face and leaned forward to place a brief but passionate kiss on his lips.

"You were right the first time....you are quite a catch..." She moved back into his arms; letting herself enjoy the warmth of his touch.

She finally relaxed her entire body and realized that she felt no sense of trepidation over being so close to his masculine body; it was replaced by a longing to be even closer to him. All of her fears were unwarranted, it made no difference to him that she had ghosts in her past that colored her present.

He felt so good he could swear that he was floating; having her body next to him was something he couldn't describe with words. He could feel that she was completely relaxed; her inner demons in this moment in time were chased off. The tension had been replaced by a peacefulness that he had never seen in her before. They both knew that what had happened between them today was a breakthrough but that there would also be more hard work ahead. However for the moment each was content to just enjoy what they had right now.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

She felt the sweat beads forming alone her hairline start to lose their grip and slide down her delicately chiseled face; the pores all over her body were fully opened as the articles of clothing that she was wearing were rapidly becoming drenched. Her mind was in a state of meditation; she was devoting time to bring herself back into balance.

She was sitting in true Indian fashion sitting up straight with her legs folded underneath her body. The steam from the water dancing on the hot stones continued to build throughout the lodge. A Sweat Ceremony was a sacred tradition in the Lakota way of life; it is used to cleanse oneself of the impurities of life, including traumas and negative emotions.

This lodge had been lovingly yet rapidly built by Johnny; he had moved into overdrive in order for it to be completed by the time that she was released from the hospital. They had discussed the idea of resurrecting one for sometime; after all the stress of daily life made having one a blessing. Some of the materials that were needed had been supplied by her father's family; such as the bear skins that covered the lodge maintaining the heat and steam.

Her grandfather and uncles were avid hunters and of course they would always make use out of every single part of the majestic creature, not just the meat. So when Johnny called several months ago they were more than happy to send him what he needed; along with instructions on how to properly construct it. He had been planning on surprising her but hadn't had the opportunity to do it without her knowledge.

This was not her first Sweat since returning home; the first round of sessions had been with all of her friends that had been through the same ordeal. That in some ways seemed like yesterday and then some days it seemed like a lifetime ago. This had taken place a week or so after everyone had left Rampart; after Alice had finally opened up to Mike and let him into her darkest of places.

Now today her hands were finally completely freed of the bandages that had encased them for seemed like forever. Her physical therapy had been going well and she had full range of motion back in them. Dr. B had told her to come back in a couple of days to do some rehabilitation tests to see if the strength in her grip had returned to normal; if it went as well as he suspected it would then she could finally go back to work.

Taking another deep cleansing breath she reflected on the last few weeks. She had been home bound for most of that; her hands prevented her from driving a car to go any where. Thankfully she had her friends to help out around the house and by taking her any place she needed to go when Johnny was on a shift. As much as she appreciated them, she longed to be back to living free of the restrictions.

The worst part of the whole recovery process was the strain on her relationship with the most patient man on earth. He had been doing everything right; he waited on her hand and foot; if she tried to do anything even close to the restriction list he was there telling her to let him do it. It was wonderful but at the same time she started to feel like a burden to him.

However what had made her feel the guiltiest over that time was what she would experience at night. Normally sleep came very natural to her; she had only ever had a bought of insomnia once in her life. Since arriving at home the vivid dreams were coming to her with a vengeance. It was during the nights where he had to be at work the next morning that really made her feel lousy. She knew he was going into to work at times exhausted. To his credit he never said one word about it; she knew that he would do anything to help her through this time, with no regards to his own welfare.

It had gotten to the point where she started sneaking off after he had fallen asleep and laid down on the roomy couch downstairs in the living room. For the first few nights he was so tired that he would sleep right through the night and when he got up she was already getting ready for the day or making breakfast. She didn't like feeling that she was deceiving him but didn't want him to suffer because of her nightmares.

She missed the intimacy of being with him in that most complete, passionate way and knew that he did also. There was never a time where she thought that he bring it up or push the issue in anyway; he hadn't taken that attitude when they were first dating so she knew with out a doubt that he wouldn't now.

At first her body had shut down completely when it came to the desire for him to work his magic but rather did the opposite. She had begun to involuntarily flinch when he touched her. She winced now thinking of the pained look on his face when he would feel her doing it. Thankfully that had only lasted a few days before she at least got to the point where her subconscious mind could recognize the difference between contact out of love and out of violence.

Then one night the nightmares became even more vivid and surreal. She began yelling; she was so caught up in them that she could no longer tell the difference between reality and the dream world. She was reliving every last detail down to the ripping and tearing of her flesh from the original attack; in spite of that she had suddenly felt a warm, safe hand grasp hers. When she opened her eyes she looked down towards the floor and there sat Johnny staring at her. Upon inspection of the floor she noticed a pillow and blankets spread out along side of the sofa.

Surprised she asked. "Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

"Why are you sleeping on the couch?" He responded in return.

"I keep waking you up....I don't want to be a burden. I mean you have to get sleep too; I don't want you to get yourself killed on duty because you can't get any rest..." She hung her head avoiding his compassionate stare.

With a gentle hand he forced her to meet his gaze. "Don't you understand? You could never, ever be a burden to me! So some nights I lose a little beauty sleep. I mean now that I landed you...I don't have to worry about prettying myself up for all those cute chicks out there...." His voice carried a humorous tone but the underlying meaning was clear.

"It's no big deal. Why don't you go get some more sleep? Seriously I am fine..." She couldn't even finish the sentence because it was a lie and one of the promises they had made to each other was that there would be no secrets.

"Tehila....we both know that isn't true. Come upstairs with me, please. Look, I have off tomorrow anyway; so please just come lay beside me." He pleaded with her.

He knelt beside her and waited for her response. He really looked at her and saw how exhausted she really was both mentally and physically. Even after their conversation her eyes still held onto the terror and pain that she had been dreaming about; she looked frail like she couldn't have stood and walked up the stairs even if she wanted to.

He stood up then took her hand in his gently pulling her to her feet. Then he effortlessly swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs. Normally, she would have protested that she was more than capable of walking under her own power but tonight she needed to experience the healing effect of being held in his embrace. So instead she simply rested her head in the crook of his shoulder.

Sitting with the sweat now rolling down her face she smiled at the pleasant aspect of that memory. That night had been one of the last where she was terrorized by the nightmares; she had spent the rest of it in a deep peaceful sleep, curled up beside him. That had taken place over a week ago and so many things had changed since then. Now occasionally she was taken back to that time but not in a play by play sense; instead she was able to bring herself back to reality without feeling like she was going to be trapped in that time.

In the last week she had made a landmark decision; something that she had never seen herself doing. She had discussed with Johnny and with Joe and they had told her that they would support her in whatever she decided. Then she and Johnny went to visit Mike and Alice; with her approval A.J. made the choice to go ahead and do some research and make an appointment.

She finally had come to the realization that she wasn't beyond asking for help when she needed it and that Alice needed it perhaps more than she did. So when they met a few days later they were both a mess of jangled nerves. They sat down at a picnic table in front of the YWCA.

"Are you sure about this A.J.?" Alice asked outright as she looked on at the entrance doors.

"Trust me; we are in the same boat. I am as intimidated as you are." She responded to the younger woman.

"I don't know if I can stand up in front of all those woman in there...." A.J. had explained about what might happen inside of those doors.

"You don't have to say anything at; if that's what you want. The more important thing is to listen to what they have to say." She was trying to hide her own anxiety.

A.J. stood up and put on a brave face. "Are you ready?"

Alice joined her friend and walked with her through the large glass doors. When they entered they could see the sign hanging on an interior door that would lead them to where they wanted to go.

Taking one last deep breath A.J. turned the door knob to see the meeting that had already begun. They both quietly walked to the back of the room where they listened to the speaker up front for quite a few minutes.

When that woman was finished another taller woman looked around the room. "Is there anyone else who would like to speak? How about some of our new people?"

The room was so silent that if someone were to have dropped a pin it would have echoed. All of the women were different; a wide range of ages and backgrounds. What A.J. could sense was the compassion and understanding that filled the small room. Taking her own advice she stood up and went to the front of the classroom. Looking around she knew that although this was going to be far from easy it was something that she needed to face head on.

"Hello, my name is A.J......and I am a rape survivor....."


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

"Hey Baby, do you think you bought enough food?" Johnny yelled across the back yard.

"Well that depends....are you and Chet both planning on eating?" She smiled back at him as she finished watering the plants next to the pool that had installed several months ago.

"Very funny!" He tried for a look of being insulted but his chocolate brown eyes shimmered with humor.

It had been over a month since she had returned to duty at the 110; any visible physical reminders had been all but erased from her body. Despite the horrific injury to her neck the scarring was minimal. It was now the time of year where her skin tone had become its darkest; which was a shade or two darker than his own was in late summer. The journey had not been easy but with help from the Lord above and many others the lively sparkle about her had returned.

Now as he stared at her he was reminded once again how blessed he was. His prayers had been answered; she had survived an ordeal that many others would not have. She had arranged this little picnic at their home on the edge of Los Angeles County. The weather was turning out to be yet another perfect California day; the sun was hot and not a cloud in the sky.

As he continued to put out the extra chairs and tables on the large deck he stole another moment or two to drool over her and her little outfit. She wasn't just toned it was more what some would call ripped with muscle; from her red haired head to her painted toes. One of the plethoras of physical attributes that made him whimper with desire was her hair. In the winter months it was a deep dark brown with only a hint of red highlights; in the summer it transformed to a rich bronze with layers of burnt copper flowing throughout it. Since the temperature outside had already passed 90 degrees she had it pulled up into a relaxed twisted ponytail; with little ringlets that naturally fell around her temples framing her high cheekbones.

The ensemble that she was wearing was a pair of light blue denim Daisy Dukes that covered the bottoms to her swimsuit. They somehow managed to make her long legs seem even more appealing to him. Then caressing her perfect upper body was the bright blue string bikini top that tied off at her neck and around to her back. He could never make up his mind which part of her body turned him on more; her muscular arms, six pack abs, or the perky twins; then again there were a few other options as well. In any case it was quite the distraction, thankfully the work uniform they both had to wear covered more of that body otherwise he would never be able to concentrate thinking of all the men that already undoubtedly stared at her all shift long.

He tore his eyes away from the heavenly sight and started to pull the grill out a little farther out from under the eves of the house. After all he would most certainly never live it down if he caught his own house on fire. It was a large one with all the extras; sometimes he figured they probably ate more meals prepared out here than on the stove. She often joked that it worked out well because her talent lie more with the stove and oven; where as he would rather here where his masterpieces could sizzle and end up flame broiled.

He glanced at his watch as saw that it was still over an hour till the first people would most likely start to arrive. They had already done everything else to get ready for the festivities; there was tons of food, beer and of course other kid friendly drinks. The ingredients for homemade ice cream were ready to mix after the rest of the food was served.

Suddenly hands encircled his waist causing him utter a startled cry; then they drifted down past the fly of his cut off jean shorts. As any red blooded man would, he instantly reacted to her expedition.

"Ahhhh...what are you doing?" He stammered.

"Well, if you have to ask, then clearly I have some work to do...." She grinned against his back as her fingers guided his shorts up his thighs; her nails sliding underneath them.

He took her hands in his as he turned around to face her; his body more than willing to succumb to her advances. "Now? You'd do this to me now?"

"Why not? It's a couple of hours till I said I would eat....food...." She unbuttoned the snap with a wolfish grin and a gleam in her turquoise eyes.

Although getting caught in a compromising situation by his friends and coworkers wasn't something he wanted to experience; refusing her seemed to him to be a ridiculous notion. He lowered his face to hers and laid a kiss on her that he knew would return the favor.

They stood there on the deck practicing the art of French kissing; their bodies already heating up into a frenzied sweaty passion. His hands were drifting to some favorite areas that he knew she thoroughly enjoyed him playing with. He wasn't going to be able to contain himself in his shorts any longer.

"Did you hear that?" A.J. whispered as she abruptly pulled away from him.

"Hear what?" He was sure that she was just being a little paranoid since her top was now only tied around her back; the other string had fallen from her neck exposing her frontal nudity.

"I thought I heard a car coming into the driveway!" She stared at him listening intently.

"What now you want to play hard to get?" He smiled at down at her; his hands taking the place of the bikini top.

"I just thought that maybe...." She was starting to believe that she was just hearing things.

"Oh Johnny Boy! Are you ready to get your butt kicked in another tournament of Ping Pong?" The voice of Chet Kelly boomed from the front yard.

"Oh GOD, OH MAN!" Johnny yelled in a hushed tone. "SHIT!" He realized that a certain part of his anatomy pressing against his shorts was going to tell the whole story when Chet and Sandy got to the backyard.

"TIE THIS FOR ME! HURRY UP!" She shrieked in a low tone. Johnny's large hands fumbled to put the knot in the slim cord around her neck.

She quickly rearranged herself in the top with her back turned from the direction that she knew they would be walking. Then she took in a deep, slow breath hoping that she could erase the look of flushed embarrassment from both her face and body.

He dashed through the sliding glass door in an attempt to find a rapid way of alleviating the evidence of their predicament. He ran to the large freezer that was kept at the far end of the kitchen and grabbed a bag of ice and scrunched up his face when it rested against the denim fabric.

"Kelly....leave it to him to be freakin' early!" He shuttered from the intense cold; then removed it from himself and was relieved to see that it had done its job. He took a minute or two to adjust himself both physically and emotionally; being with her was going to have to wait.

She had just finished buttoning her shorts when Chet and Sandy came around the corner and unlatched the entrance through the fence to come into the backyard. The physical evidence may have been mended but her desire to simply excuse herself and go inside relieve the tension was overwhelming.

"Sandy....Chet, hey I'm glad you guys could come!" A.J. gave a broad smile.

"Hey, where's Johnny Boy? I need to ask him about my car; he said he thought he might have an idea of what is wrong with it." Chet got right to the point.

"Chet, we just got here! Do you think you could say hello first?" Sandy glanced sideways at him.

"Hello first!" He responded with a loopy grin.

With a roll of her eyes A.J. starts to give him an explanation. "Uhh, Chet he's well inside, he needed to do something...."

"I'm right here Kelly! I see that even Sandy can't manage to teach you any manners!" Gage replied loudly getting his friend's attention. Thank heavens that he hadn't come barging in the house before he could alleviate his condition.

"Oh come on Gage! Do you want to take a look at my baby....errr I mean my car or not?" Chet changed in mid sentence when Sandy shot him a look of annoyance.

"Sure Kelly, let's go check out what's making that tinging noise...." Johnny tried to sound at least a little bit excited; it wasn't working.

"So what were you and Johnny up to?" Sandy gave A.J. a knowing grin.

"What do you mean?" She replied trying to sound innocent; once again it wasn't working.

"Oh come! I know that look when I see it! It's been on my face a few times...." Sandy blushed at the thought of it.

"A few times? What you two have no restraint?" She laughed at the expression on the other woman's face.

"No, it's some of his family! They have a nasty habit of just walking in the front door whenever they please. Chet had given his mother a key a long time ago." Sandy winced at the memory of being in his bedroom and hearing the shrill yelling of mommy dearest.

"Alright, well if you tell Chet any of this I will be forced to kill you!" A.J gave her a grin; doing a mock of choking Sandy.

"Mums the word! After all the Phantom has been in hiatus for a while now, why awaken the beast?" She put her fingers up in a Girl Scout salute.

The rest of the gang started filing not too long after the first arrivals. Everyone that had been thrown together in some way that fateful weekend showed up; the friends thoroughly enjoying each others company. The food was plenty as were the conversations that varied group by group. Among the guests were also the men of the 110 and the dates that some of them brought.

A.J and Brice were sitting in some of the chairs that were situated around the concrete deck surrounding the pool. This wasn't the first time that the two of them had talked since the rescue off the mountainside; other than riding with each other every shift. It was obvious by his body language that Brice had reverted back to more like a stick in the mud in many ways, since had dealt with a temporary partner.

"I thought you were never coming back to work!" Craig revealed with some desperation in his voice.

"What? I thought the rumor was that you had wanted him transferred as your new partner...." She snickered awaiting his response.

"What? You have to be kidding, right? Who on earth would have told you that? I mean he was simply impossible, always quoting the rulebook! I'll tell you where I would have liked to shove that rulebook!" The normally calm and collected paramedic was on a role.

"Wow...I never thought I would see the day!" She started to laugh so hard tears formed in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" The look on his face was a mixture of annoyance and quizzical wonderment.

"You! Oh come on Mr. By the Book! Were you just upset that someone else took your crown?" She shot him a look letting him know that she was teasing him. Although they had become fast friends there times where he still was a little sensitive; not always knowing when she was joking.

At first he stared at her with a stern look then in another instant it changed to a smirk and then a low chuckle. "Well I suppose you're right. However I have one thing going for me that he doesn't have."

"What's that?" She was trying to read where he was going with this.

"My suave, charming personality!" He broke out in pure laughter; not being able to deliver it with a straight face.

After taking a few minutes to get that out of their systems his expression became a little more sober. He had indeed sorely missed her presence; the shifts had seemed endless riding in the squad with a complete stranger. No one else in the department had ever gotten so close to him the way that she had; with her it was different, she was truly his friend. Now of course like all the others that he worked with he was prepared to sacrifice everything to save any of them but he had established a report with her.

He was not a real trusting type of person; she was the only that he ever told any of his personal problems or triumphs to. He made it seem that he dreaded the fact that she insisted on trying to set him up on blind dates with her girlfriends but in fact he enjoyed it. He wasn't exactly a ladies man either and since she had started her little match making project he had gained a lot more confidence around the opposite sex. He would never admit it to even her but he hoped that one day he could find what her and Gage had together.

"How have you been? I mean honestly....how are things going?" Although they had run several shifts since her return to work they hadn't had much time to really talk; besides personal discussions wasn't what he did a lot of while on the job.

"It hasn't been an easy ride and the roller coaster hasn't come to a complete stop, yet. Hey, I'll tell you; I was going stir crazy! Thank GOD, I am now back at work! I mean what would I do without you? You're my partner in crime!" She gave him a broad smile; they had pulled some great pranks both on the men they worked with and 'The Phantom' at Station 51.

"Speaking of which I think we need to think up a few more devious ones, it's been a while since 'The Gremlin' has struck!" Craig cocked his eyebrow along with sporting a sinister grin.

After the initial gorging of all of the delicious food the group split primarily into three groups; the men dividing most of their time between each others cars and the rec room where the game of the moment was on TV along with the infamous Ping Pong table. Then there were the children who swam in the pool and ran around the property and played with the two little Jack Russells.

The women for the most part lounged around the pool; alternating between taking a dip themselves and carrying conversations that ranged from humorous to emotional. They each had grown both within themselves and in their respective relationships.

"I don't know about either of you but I have never felt more blessed! Really, some days my little angels are more like little devils but now when I look at them and think about how close I came to never seeing them again...." Emily reflected.

"I hear you, Em. I feel the same way! When I came home the next morning when they woke up and saw me....it was priceless. I have never in my life been so happy to hear them scream at me, then almost knock me over!" Joanne could picture that scene as if it only happened last night instead of almost two months ago.

"Chet has been so wonderful! He has listened to me rant and rave one minute then cry the next! I still fell so guilty for leaving you behind...." Sandy's met with Alice's; her memories flashing back to when she had realized that they had mistakenly thought that she was safe back at their meeting place.

"Sandy...please it wasn't your fault! I know that you would never, ever do anything to hurt me! It was complete chaos pure and simple. If I was in your shoes, I would have assumed the exact same thing...." Alice walked over to where she was sitting and knelt down and embraced her friend.

"Well Kel and I are actually happy living together! Go figure! I guess we both always thought that by now one of us would have gone a little bonkers!" Dixie interjected trying to lighten the subject. They had hashed these issues out in the Sweat Lodge at their sessions, so now she was trying to focus more on the positive, happy things in their lives.

"Why do you say that?" Alice asked. She too wanted to change the subject; not that they didn't all have valid points but today with the perfect weather and all of her new found family she wanted to laugh and not cry today.

Her days had grown brighter with each and every moment. At first she couldn't imagine how any support group could do her any good at all. Standing up and telling everyone your problems, what could that possibly accomplish? For A.J.'s sake she had kept attending the meetings; then one day something just came over her and she had the sudden urge to speak out for the first time in her life. Now she attended some every week; sometimes with A.J. and sometimes she even went without her.

"Well we have both been single for so long that we both have our own little habits. So I guess I was afraid he would leave the seat up and I would have to kill me....or at least maim him!" She giggled at the very thought.

"Come on Dix, Dr.B has been one happy camper since you came back to work! From what I have heard; he was a real bear when you were recovering! Now, as I see you have got him wrapped around your little finger again!" A.J. lightly punched her in the arm.

"Now, why would you say that? Of course I have some powers of persuasion! I mean a girl has to use what talents that she has!" Dixie laughed so hard she nearly snorted soda through her nose.

"I don't need to persuade Mike; he is the most wonderful man! He knows all of my secrets and he doesn't care!" She paused and changed her expression to a look of sadness.

"I have to tell you guys something.....I am moving out of my apartment." This time she gave them all the most pitiful puppy dog eyes.

"WHAT? WHY? What happened?" Joanne gasped. What would make her want to move away?

"I found another apartment. It's larger and about 15 miles from my apartment....Oh did I mention that I am going to have a roommate? He's tall, handsome and a firefighter...." A twinkle in her eyes made the others put two and two together.

"No fair...that's not nice scaring us like that!" Sandy tossed a chair cushion at her friend.

Alice let loose with such a deep laugh that she actually snorted, which made everyone else laugh that much harder. She honestly could never imagine of another time in her life where she had felt so completely free and happy. The other hurdle that her and Mike had crossed together was their intimacy. Only a few days ago she had been lying with him and decided it was time to try and take the next step.

He had always been so gentle and understanding; he had promised that if she felt uncomfortable in any way that he would stop and do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted to try. That night she had been lying with him watching a movie when she involuntarily began using her fingers to trace the defined muscles of his abdomen underneath his shirt. The smooth, firm lines made her own body react in turn. She wanted to feel his hands on her body; making the urge unbearable. Then casually her fingers started to move further south just short of her intended destination.

"Mike?" She asked timidly.

"What is it, Baby?" Her exploration on his stomach had not evaded him. He may have been sleepy but he wasn't dead.

"Remember when you said that when I was ready to let you know?" Her voice grew stronger with the anticipation of what she was about to experience. The horror of that night would always be a part of her but would no longer define who she was. She knew what his kisses did to her senses, so this next part of the journey could only amount to amazing; she was sure of that.

"Are you? I mean only if you think you're ready...." Inside Mike was hoping that she would be able to finish what she started but would support her decision either way.

She sat up and slowly but surely removed the large t-shirt of his that she had been wearing; unveiling her entire self to him. She leaned down and kissed him with such fire that his insides melted. In return he softly and carefully began to explore her body.

She shook her head and started to fan herself as she grew heated with the memory of that night. As she had suspected it had been passionate, beautiful and exhilarating. The sensations that enveloped her senses were indescribable. She instantly knew that it wouldn't be the last time that they would be together in that magical way.

A.J. sat back and continued to mostly listen to the conversations and comments that came after Alice's deceptive statement. She watched the younger woman and said a prayer thanking The Creator for blessing her with the peace that she was entitled to. In some ways she knew that her friend had a much harder burden to bear. She had no family ties what so ever, no one to confide in, no one that loved and treasured her the way that she deserved; at least not until now.

The laughter of the women filtered throughout the yard. The connection that they all now shared would never be broken; they would always know where to turn to when any of them needed help or just an understanding ear.

Inside the men had spread throughout room; the house had originally been a two story volunteer fire station. The room that A.J. had made into a living/rec room was quite large because it had served as the fire hall where banquets and other fundraisers were held. So the large group had plenty of things to occupy their time, a pool and ping pong table, a large TV and lots of comfy chairs to watch whatever game had their interest.

"Come on Gage! Do you really want to get whooped again?" Chet goaded his pigeon.

"Did you ever think that maybe I'm being a gracious host and letting you win?" Johnny fired back.

"Yeah right Johnny! That would be the day!" Kelly laughed haughtily.

With a small crooked smile Johnny acknowledge that in this instance Chet was actually right; he would never simply let him win at anything. "I was just starting a battle of wits with you, until I realized that it wasn't fair because you are apparently unarmed!"

"Do the two of you ever quit?" Hank's face had a scowl but his eyes danced with laughter. It was good to see his men back to normal; since that weekend a couple of months ago things had been off kilter.

He was standing on the opposite side of the room carrying on a conversation of his own with Marco and Mike. He was happy to see that things between Mike and Alice had take a pleasant dramatic turn when she had agreed to move in with him.

"So Marco how did that date with that cute woman from Chile go?" The Captain asked. He had rare occasion to discuss his men's social lives but he had to admit his was curious.

"We went out to the new Chinese Restaurant that went in next the Hot Dog Stand that blew up; you know the one where the idiot had jury rigged a gas oven. She's lived in LA for a while now; she works for the Art Museum."

"So did it go well?" Mike chimed in; now that he was involved with Alice he found himself wanting his good friend to find someone who could do that for him.

"We have our next two dates planned already, so what does that tell you?" Marco grinned ear to ear.

"Way to go! So Mike, how's it been since she moved in? I mean you been a bachelor so quite some time." Hank changed the direction of the conversation.

The bashful side of Stoker caused his face to immediately flush with embarrassment; usually his position in the crew was to listen to the others brag or whine about their girlfriends. The other side of the reddening of his face was because of where his mind plunged to, thinking of their first time together.

"It's working out pretty good, Cap. She's feeling a lot better these days; not a nightmare in sight for a few weeks now." He trusted his comrades with his life on a regular basis but some things were definitely too personal, so he kept his answer short.

"I'm so glad Mike! Emily had her share of sleepless nights when she first got back. She woke me up a few nights crying." Hank closed his eyes momentarily while recalling the events of those first several nights.

"We all knew that A.J. could take care of herself but I don't think that things would have turned out the way that they did if her and Dixie hadn't been there...." Marco added; he clearly remembered waiting at Rampart for news on his friend.

"Here's to Wolfie and Dixie! Those Bastards had no idea who they were dealing with!" Hank raised his beer in a toast to his dear friends.

Sitting on the couch in front of the television the crew from Station 110 were watching the game closely, since they had each went in on a poll. It was against department policy to gamble, so of course it was all in fun. The fun amounted to $100.00 pot.

"You know that money is as good as mine!" Davidson taunted his fellow firefighters.

"Ya right! Please that team of yours hasn't won all season!" Tony Darrow mocked his fellow Truckie.

"That's just because their just psyching the other team out; so they'll let their guard down!" Bob Stevenson piped in; he had also bet with Davidson.

"If you Knuckle Heads don't shut your traps, we'll never know who wins this!" Captain Morgan chided them. His trusted his men to do whatever it took each and every time the tones went but sometimes he could swear that he was just an over glorified babysitter.

"Did you think we would see the day that we would be assigned someone who Brice wanted to kill?" Davidson interjected with a wicked grin.

"I didn't think it was possible! Who would have thought that someone could out annoy Craig Brice!" Bob snickered.

"Well thank GOD that Wolfie is back! She is the only one that can get him to lighten up! When she's on shift....I never thought I would say this but he can actually be fun to around!" Tony laughed too.

Roy and the doctors sat on the cement patio watching the kids sprint back and forth across the yard; most times with small dogs at their heels. The sun had started its decent toward the horizon; the picnic had been a fantastic success in every way.

"I couldn't ask for a better day off!" Kel commented as he sipped his beer.

"You couldn't be more right about that! The food was great and the kids should actually be worn out when their parents take them home!" Joe smiled; he really enjoyed watching the young ones play. They were at the stage where they didn't have one single care in the world; their lives so full of innocence.

"I have a theory on why they have so much energy and why I need a nap in the afternoon!" Morton laughed, partly because some days especially that statement was unfortunately all too true.

"What's that Mike?" Roy was thinking about how truthful that statement could be.

"I think some where along the way our energy cycles got switched! I mean come on; they have so much pep they literally don't know what to do with it all!" The youngest doctor noted.

"You think their wound up now! At least tonight their burning off the sugar! You should see them after they've been trick or treating! They could run 20 miles after that overload and they'd still be spinning in circles!" Roy informed him with an all too knowing grin.

"Roy?" Joanne popped her head around the corner. "Oh Hi!" She acknowledged the other three men.

"Come over here! You have to see this!"

The men quickly followed her voice to where she was standing. They were quite curious; there had been no alarm in her voice. So what could have her this excited?

As they rounded the corner of the house they could see the pool area. The pool itself was actually housed in a glass hut sort of resembling a green house. In beautiful days such as this the roof and the walls could be opened up allowing fresh air to circulate. If it was rainy or cooler in the winter months then the heat of the sun warmed up the glass panels making it toasty inside.

There in the center of the pool was Craig Brice playing 'Monkey in the Middle' with the children. They were splashing and giggling as they threw the beach ball over his head and scrambled to get it before he could. What was hard to determine was who was having more fun; Craig or the kids!

"Proof positive that miracles really do happen!" Roy muttered with a look of surprise on his face.

The gang stayed and continued to socialized for a few more hours. The food came back out and the rest of the ice cream was polished off. The sun was setting, creating a brilliant show of colors as it reflected off the tree line.

A.J. and Johnny stood in the driveway waving off some more cars as they pulled down the long driveway. Roy, Joanne and the kids were the last to leave; at the moment Roy was packing everything in the trunk while Jo strapped the kids into their car seats.

"Well partner, you two can sure through a party!" Roy slapped his shoulder.

"We were happy to have you! Besides we had an ulterior motive...." Johnny told him.

"What's that?" Roy looked at him confused.

"The only time those dogs are exhausted is when the kids run them ragged!" A.J. flashed a broad smile.

"That's alright because that's the only thing that tuckers them out!" Jo motioned towards the backseat of their car where Chris and Jenny were sound asleep.

As the DeSotos turned right out of their driveway and onto the street A.J. looked at him and said. "I'm going get started on cleaning everything up."

"I'll help; I wish we could just wait until tomorrow." Johnny sighed. They weren't scheduled on until Monday.

"I know I do too but if we let this stuff out the animals will have ransacked the yard and everything by morning." As much as she loved hosting events; she hated cleaning everything up.

They walked together hand in hand and then went about the task of gathering together all of the trash and putting what was left of the food and drinks away. It didn't really take all that long since their friends had been kind enough to start cleaning up the yard by putting away the toys that the couple kept at their house for when Chris and Jenny came to spend the night when their parents needed some alone time.

She had just walked back outside to start folding up the extra chairs and put them place them back up against the side of the house when she smelled the familiar scent of Polio greeting her nose. Before she could turn around she felt his muscular arms gently encircle her narrow waist. The second sensation she had a solid, thick object push up against her backside.

"Is that a sausage in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" She asked prior to turning around to look at him.

She first looked into his eyes and then her eyes drifted downwards to take in the breathtaking sight before her. The only item of clothing that he had on was a light brown leather loin cloth, with a certain part of himself pushing the flap out.

"Oh, I'm not only happy to see you but thrilled that we are finally alone!" He winked at her. "Me Tarzan, you Jane?"

Her lips parted and a naughty giggle came out of them. Then with a couple of swift movements she dropped her shorts to the ground and let her top follow them down.

"Jane is ready and willing...." She told him as she pressed her body up against his smooth skin.

_**Thank you for all of your reviews, please keep them coming with this chapter!**_

_**I am going to be doing another 'extended, unpublished' chapter to continue this chapter with Johnny and A.J. Please feel free to contact me if you would like me to send it to you!**_

_**Let me know if you guys would like me to do one with Alice and Mike as well.**_

_**SPECIAL THANKS to Mari, Serge, and Emom for all of the research material!!! I couldn't have done it with out you!**_

_**I have loved writing this and hope you have enjoyed it! I do have more ideas in my brain for the 'Emergency!' gang, so no worries!**_

_**Please check out my next ones which will be in the NCIS universe!**_


End file.
